15 new coronavirus cases in Lambton, 9 in Elgin-Oxford, 1 in London-Middlesex

The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported one new case of the novel coronavirus as Canada enters its Civic Day long weekend Saturday.

No new recoveries or deaths were reported.

It brings the region’s total COVID-19 case count to 675, of which 586 have recovered. Fifty-seven people have died, most recently on June 12.

The newest case, which was reported in the city of London,Ont., is not associated with any seniors’ facilities and does not involve a health-care worker.

There are now at least 32 active cases in the region, according to health unit numbers.

At least 624 cases have been reported in London, while 25 have been in Strathroy-Caradoc. Elsewhere, 12 have been in Middlesex Centre, six each in North Middlesex and Thames Centre, and one each in Lucan Biddulph and Southwest Middlesex.

The region’s seven-day average for new cases stands at 2.28 per day as of Friday, down from 2.57 per day on Thursday. Looking back 14 days to July 16, the average is 2.42.

London and Middlesex has seen 132.8 cases per 100,000 people as of Friday.

An outbreak at Victoria Hospital’s child and adolescent mental health unit (B8-200) remained active as of Saturday. It was declared on July 24 after a staff member tested positive.

It’s among at least 27 outbreaks that have been declared in the region. At least 21 of those have been at local long-term care and retirement homes, resulting in at least 184 cases and 35 deaths.

People 80 and above are the second-largest age group of cases in the region, making up 16 per cent of all cases. The largest involves people in their 20s, who account for 21 per cent of cases.

Women make up nearly 59 per cent of all cases in London and Middlesex.

Health-care workers make up 155 of the region’s total case tally.

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The number of COVID-19 inpatients at London Health Sciences Centre remains stable at five or fewer — the hospital isn’t issuing a tally unless it rises above that number.

No COVID-19 patients were in the care of St. Joseph’s Health Care London as of Saturday. That tally has been unchanged for more than a month.

At least 114 people have had to be hospitalized for COVID-19, including 32 who needed to be admitted to intensive care.

Ontario

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Ontario reported 124 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the provincial total to 39,333.

Two new deaths were also announced, bringing the provincial death toll to 2,777.

A total of 35,237 cases are considered resolved, an increase of 163.

More than 33,000 additional tests have been conducted.

Elgin and Oxford

Nine more positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed by officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH).

Two more recoveries were also announced.

This brings the total number of cases to 152 with 88 recoveries and five deaths.

SWPH has reported at least one new case every day for the last 15 days in a row.

At least 58 cases remain active in the region, and at least 32 of them are in Aylmer, seven more than Friday. Twelve cases are in Bayham, two more than the day before.

Elsewhere, seven active cases are in Tillsonburg, four in Norwich, two in St. Thomas, and one in Central Elgin.

As of Friday, a region-wide mask mandate is in effect by way of a letter of instruction to businesses in the region.

The health unit is giving businesses and establishments a one-week grace period to be prepared, meaning mask policies must be in place no later than midnight Aug. 6.

Municipalities in Elgin and Oxford are also being called on by the health unit to put their own bylaws in place.

Exceptions to the mandate include children under the age of 2, those unable to wear a face-covering due to a medical condition, and those involved in an athletic, fitness or physical activity or any activity that would preclude its use.

Children under 5 are also exempt if they refuse to wear a face covering and “cannot be persuaded to do so by their caregiver,” according to the instruction.

Fifty-six per cent of the region’s cases are women, according to the health unit. People in their 50s make up the largest age group of cases with 36 cases, or 23.7 per cent.

SWPH has received 16,672 tests to date, with 411 pending results. At least 0.9 per cent of tests are coming back positive.

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Huron and Perth

Officials with Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) do not issue updates on the weekends.

As of Friday, the region had a total of 68 cases, which includes 59 recoveries and five deaths. The death toll has not changed since late April.

Of the four active cases in the region, three are in Perth County and one is in Huron County.

The health unit also announced an outbreak had been declared at Knollcrest Lodge in Perth East after a staff member tested positive. The outbreak is the first active one in the region in about two months.

Just over 32 per cent of cases are linked to outbreaks in the region.

Perth County has reported a total of 21 cases, while Huron has seen 16. Elsewhere, Stratford has reported 26 cases and four deaths, while St. Marys has reported five cases and one death.

The Stratford death was linked to a since-resolved outbreak at Greenwood Court, a long-term care facility.

Women account for nearly 62 per cent of all cases in the region, the health unit says.

People in their 60s make up the largest age group of cases with 18, or 26.4 per cent, followed by people in their 50s with 13, or 19 per cent, and people in their 30s with 11, or 16 per cent.

Of the region’s 68 confirmed cases, 28 have involved health-care workers, according to the health unit.

At least 11,538 people had been tested as of Friday.

Sarnia and Lambton

Officials with Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported 15 new COVID-19 cases late Friday, with no new recoveries or deaths.

This brings the total case count to 317, of which 265 have recovered. The death toll sits at 25.

There are at least 27 known active cases of the virus in Lambton.

LPH issued a statement Friday, explaining that contact-tracing efforts determined the new cases are linked to a few of the same families, mainly in a rural community, but with connections to family members in urban communities.

“Direction was provided to those families to self-isolate immediately and proceed to an assessment for testing,” the statement read.

“We expected early on this week that new cases may result, based on findings and determining the level of interaction for an infected individual,” said Dr. Sudit Ranade, Medical Officer of Health for Lambton County.

There are currently no active outbreaks in the region. Nine have been declared overall, linked to 105 cases and 16 deaths. Of those, 94 cases and all 16 deaths were linked to outbreaks at Landmark Village and Vision Nursing Home.

Thirty-six per cent of cases are linked to outbreaks, while 39 per cent are due to close contact with a confirmed case. Twenty-three per cent have an unknown source of exposure.

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By age, people 80 and above make up nearly a quarter of all cases. People in their 50s account for 16 per cent of cases, while people in their 20s make up 13 per cent of cases.

There were no COVID-19 patients in hospital in Sarnia as of Saturday, Bluewater Health reported. Twelve patients were awaiting test results. The last time the hospital saw a COVID-19 patient was on June 14.

At least 17,150 test results had been received as of late Friday. The region’s test positivity remains at 1.8 per cent.

— With files from Global News’ Matthew Trevithick and Ryan Rocca