There has been another COVID-19 related death linked to a retirement home as four new cases of the virus were confirmed in the London-area over the past 24 hours.
The Middlesex London Health Unit said a woman in her 90s succumbed to the coronavirus on Friday. The woman lived in a local retirement home and is the 13th person in one of those facilities to die as a result of COVID-19. To date, there have been a total of 57 deaths in the area.
The number of confirmed cases rose by four since Thursday, bringing the local total to 572. It does not appear any of the new cases are associated to area long-term care or retirement homes. Outbreaks are continuing at two local facilities - Chelsey Park Retirement Community and Kensington Village.
Public health officials reported another person has recovered from the virus, bringing the number of resolved cases to 429.
In Elgin and Oxford counties, there were three new cases confirmed on Friday. This is the first time since May 21 that region has recorded more than two new cases in a single day. The area's total number of cases since the pandemic began is now 80. However, all but 10 of those cases have been resolved. There have been no additional deaths since April 22, leaving the death toll at four.
Provincial public health officials have reported Ontario's lowest number of new single-day infections since late March.
A total of 182 new cases and 11 deaths were confirmed over the last 24 hours, with Health Minister Christine Elliott pointing out 28 of Ontario's 34 health units saw only five or fewer new cases each since Thursday. That includes 17 health units that reported zero new cases.
"That’s very positive news and confirms the regions are ready to reopen more services," Elliott said in a tweet.
Much of Ontario moved into phase two of the province's reopening plan on Friday with customers allowed to return to hair salons, restaurant patios and swimming pools in select municipalities.
Since the start of the pandemic, 31,726 Ontarians have tested positive for the virus and 2,498 have died.
There are currently 63 outbreaks reported in long-term care homes across Ontario. Residents of long-term care facilities account for 1,776 of Ontario’s total deaths.
The number of people infected with the virus in hospital is 527. Of those, 114 are in intensive care and 84 are relying on a ventilator to breathe.
The province conducted 28,335 tests for the virus over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests completed since January to 953,015.
A total of 302 cases were resolved over the last 24-hours, bringing the number of people to recover from COVID-19 in Ontario to 26,187.
Today, most of Ontario moves into Stage 2. Looking locally, 28 of the province’s 34 PHUs have five or fewer new cases, with 17 of them having no new cases at all. That’s very positive news and confirms the regions are ready to reopen more services.
— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) June 12, 2020
