Ontario
Ontario reported 3,124 cases Friday, up from 1,453 cases last Friday and 1,031 the Friday before that.
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Of the 3,124 new cases recorded, the data showed 788 were unvaccinated people, 96 were partially vaccinated people, 2,120 were fully vaccinated people and for 130 people the vaccination status was unknown.
Five more deaths were reported Friday.
Ontario reported 358 people in general hospital wards with COVID-19 (up by 30 from the previous day) with 157 patients in intensive care units (down by eight) and 139 patients in intensive care units on a ventilator (down by eight).
Elgin and Oxford
Southwestern Public Health says as of Dec. 16, all cases “will be automatically closed after 10 days of a positive result,” regardless of their outcome.
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On Friday, Southwestern Public Health reported:
5,836 total cases (an increase of 36)
234 active cases (a decrease of 26)
5,494 resolved cases (an increase of 10)
108 deaths to date (unchanged)
The most recent deaths were reported Wednesday, Dec. 15 and involved a man in his 30s from Oxford County and a man in his 90s from St. Thomas.
Further details can be found on SWPH’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Of the 234 active cases in the region, 121 were in Elgin County (including 66 in St. Thomas and 19 in Aylmer) and 113 were in Oxford County (including 40 in Woodstock, 18 in Ingersoll and 16 each in Norwich Township and Tillsonburg).
Eleven people were hospitalized with COVID-19, with seven in the ICU as of Friday.
An outbreak at Caressant Care Bonnie Place in St. Thomas declared Nov. 28 is ongoing. It involves 11 resident cases and nine staff cases. One death is associated with the outbreak.
SWPH is reporting outbreaks at the following schools:
Immanuel Christian School in Aylmer, declared Dec. 2
St. Mary’s Catholic Elementary School in West Lorne, declared Dec. 10
Hickson Central Public School in Hickson, declared Dec. 15
Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute in Ingersoll, declared Dec. 15
King’s Academy Private School in St. Thomas, declared Dec. 16
Information on school cases can be found on the websites of the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board.
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The region’s test positivity rate was 4.7 per cent for the week of Dec. 5, down from 5.3 per cent for the week of Nov. 28.
As of Dec. 16, 75.8 per cent of those aged five and older in the region were fully vaccinated while 80.4 per cent have had at least one dose.
Information on where and how to get vaccinated can be found on the health unit’s website.
Huron and Perth
Global News is awaiting Friday’s data from Huron Perth Public Health.
On Thursday, Huron Perth Public Health reported:
2,769 total cases (an increase of 22)
121 active cases (an increase of three)
2,578 recoveries (an increase of 19)
70 deaths to date (unchanged)
The most recent death was reported Nov. 29 and involved a community member connected to a workplace outbreak, according to a spokesperson for the health unit.
Among the 121 active cases, 22 were in North Perth, 19 in Howick and 17 in Stratford. Full case counts by the municipality can be found on the health unit’s dashboard.
There were two people hospitalized with COVID-19 and two active cases involving health-care workers as of Thursday.
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HPPH has nine active outbreaks involving eight schools and one workplace:
Clinton Public School in Central Huron, declared Dec. 13 and involving one staff and two students
Elma Township Public School in North Perth, declared Nov. 23 and involving 26 students
Howick Central Public School in Howick, declared Dec. 15 and involving two student cases
Little Falls Public School in St. Marys, declared Dec. 14 and involving two students
Milverton Public School in Perth East declared Dec. 9 and involving four students
North Perth Westfield ES in North Perth declared Nov. 30 and involving one staff and 11 students
Perth Care for Kids in Perth East declared Dec. 6 and involving two students
St. Josephs Catholic Elementary Public School in Stratford declared Dec. 13 and involving two students
No further information was provided about the workplace outbreak.
Data on school cases can be found on the websites of the Avon-Maitland District School Board and the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board.
As of Dec. 13, 82 per cent of residents aged five and older have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose while 78 per cent are fully vaccinated.
The region’s test positivity rate was 4.5 per cent for the week of Dec. 5, up from 2.9 per cent for the week of Nov. 28.
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Information on how and where to get a vaccine can be found on the health unit’s website.
Fears rise Omicron will stretch already stressed health workers
Sarnia and Lambton
On Friday, Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported:
4,603 total cases (an increase of 28)
129 active cases (an increase of 16)
4,396 resolved cases (an increase of 12)
78 deaths to date (unchanged)
The most recent death was reported Friday, Dec. 3.
As of Friday, there were 13 COVID-19 patients in the care of Bluewater Health.
LPH is reporting seven active outbreaks, five of which are at unidentified workplaces.
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Bright’s Grove Public School, declared Dec. 10 and involving nine cases
John Knox Christian School, declared Dec. 10 and involving fewer than five cases
an unidentified workplace declared Dec. 15, involving three cases
four unidentified workplaces, all declared Dec. 16 and involving two cases each
A previous outbreak at St. Anne Catholic School, declared Dec. 3 and involving seven cases, was listed as over as of Dec. 16. An outbreak at St. Bartholomew’s Early Childhood Learning Centre, declared Dec. 3 and involving five cases, was also declared over as of Dec. 16. An outbreak at an unidentified workplace declared Dec. 6 and involving two cases was listed as over as of Dec. 16.
All active cases at schools within the Lambton Kent District School Board can be found online, as can cases at schools within the St. Clair Catholic District School Board.
The test positivity rate was 3.6 per cent for the week of Dec. 5, up from 3.9 per cent the week prior.
Among area residents aged five and older, 80 per cent have had at least one dose while 76 per cent have had two doses. Ten per cent have had a third dose.
Residents can book and re-book COVID-19 vaccine appointments or find information on vaccine availability at pharmacies using the health unit’s registration page. People can also contact the vaccine call centre at 226-254-8222.
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Those who are able to get vaccinated on short notice are encouraged to sign up for Lambton Public Health’s daily Vaccine Standby List.
— with files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
