One day before the first person in London-Middlesex will receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the region has logged 65 new infections and two additional deaths.
The Middlesex London Health Unit said on Tuesday a man in his 80s and a woman in her 60s died from the virus over the past 24 hours. The man was associated with a local long-term care facility, while the woman was not. Their deaths bring the total COVID-19 death toll in the region to 93.
Tuesday's 65 new cases are down slightly from the previous day's 71. The total case count in London and Middlesex now sits at 2,609, with 2,077 of those cases resolved. That leaves 439 active cases.
The first shipment of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine has arrived in London with the first vaccination slated to take place Wednesday at the COVID-19 Vaccination Centre at the Western Fair District Agriplex. The health unit has provided no information about the person who will receive the shot first. In other cities where the immunization process has begun, the first recipients have been personal support workers, nurses, and emergency physicians.
Frontline health-care workers and long-term care employees are among the priority groups identified by the Ministry of Health to get the vaccine. Others groups given priority include long-term care residents and their caregivers, recipients of chronic home health-care, and adults in Indigenous communities.
Two doses of the vaccine, administered 21 days apart, are required.
Outbreaks of COVID-19 on three units at University Hospital have been declared over. 6IP Acute/Decant Medicine, 9IP Sub-Acute Medicine and 5IP Cardiology offices have been given the all clear. That leaves just four other units at the hospital still under an outbreak.
Victoria Hospital also has ongoing outbreak on two floors.
In total, there have been 69 patients and 58 staff members at University hospital associated with the outbreak. At Victoria Hospital, less than five patients and staff members have contracted the virus. Twenty-two deaths have been linked to the outbreaks at the two hospitals.
There are currently eight local long-term care and retirement residences battling outbreaks. They include Chelsey Park, Country Terrace, Dearness Home, McCormick Home, McGarrell Place, People Care Oak Crossing, Sisters of St. Joseph, and Westmount Gardens.
Four more cases were confirmed at three local schools. White Oaks Public in London reported two cases, while Glendale High in Tillsonburg, and St. Anne’s Catholic Elementary in St. Thomas identified a single case each. Those considered to be at risk will be contacted and asked to isolate for 14 days. All schools are currently closed for the winter break.
Southwestern Public Health, the health unit for Elgin and Oxford, recorded 26 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. The latest infections bring the area’s total caseload to 961. Twenty-four more recoveries were reported over the last 24 hours, increasing the total number of resolved cases to 790. There were no additional deaths reported, leaving the death toll at 11. Active cases in the region now sit at 160.
Ontario’s COVID-19 caseload grew by more than 2,200 over the past 24 hours.
Public health officials reported 2,202 new infections Tuesday, up from 2,123 the previous day.
Toronto led the way for the most new cases with 636. The city was followed by Peel with 504, York Region with 218, and Windsor-Essex with 213.
Ontario’s total number of cases now stands at 160,255.
Twenty-one more people died from the virus across the province, increasing the death toll to 4,188. Of Tuesday's deaths, 11 were in long-term care homes.
Public health officials said the number of resolved case across the province now total 136,767.
The number of active cases of the novel coronavirus in Ontario is currently 19,300.
The number of infected requiring hospital care in Ontario is up to 1,005. Of those in hospital, 273 are in the intensive care unit and 172 are on ventilators.
In the last 24 hour period, nearly 45,300 COVID-19 tests were processed. That is a drop from 45,265 on Monday.
Ontario’s positivity rate is now roughly five per cent.
