For the second straight day, the number of new COVID-19 cases in the London-area has doubled since the start of the week.
The Middlesex London Health Unit confirmed three new cases of the virus on Thursday, to make a total of six new cases in the region since Monday. The week started with zero cases, but went up to one on Tuesday before adding two more on Wednesday.
The three people to test positive for the virus on Thursday are all in London and are under the age of 40.
Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a total of 652 cases of COVID-19 in London and Middlesex.
Local Medical Officer of Health Dr. Chris Mackie released updated instructions to business owners and operators outlining requirements for implementing mandatory physical distancing and face-covering use. They remind businesses that enforcement should be done in ‘good faith’ and should be primarily used to educate people on the use of masks in public spaces. The updated instructions also expand on the list of individuals who are exempt from wearing a face mask to include those participating in a religious service, emergency service workers where it interferes with their job, and those consuming food and beverage at eateries. The letter from Mackie can be read in its entirety by clicking here.
There was one new recovery over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of resolved cases to 581 and the number of active cases to 14. No additional deaths have been reported in the region since June 12. The death toll stands at 57.
The total number of cases in Elgin and Oxford counties has gone up to 96. Southwestern Public Health, the region's health unit, reported two new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. The number of resolved cases remained at 81. The two counties' death toll is five, with no more deaths related to the virus since the start of the month.
Provincially, the number of new cases is the lowest it has been all week.
Public health officials reported 103 new confirmed cases over the last 24 hours. That is down from 135 on Monday, 203 on Tuesday, and 165 on Wednesday.
"Locally, 28 of Ontario’s 34 PHUs [public health units] are reporting five or fewer cases, with fully 21 of them reporting no new cases. Ottawa is down to 14 cases with Windsor-Essex reporting 23," Health Minister Christine Elliott tweeted.
The province's total number of cases is now 38,210.
There were zero additional deaths recorded in Ontario on Thursday, leaving the death toll at 2,755.
Another 151 infected people recovered from the virus over the past 24 hours, increasing the number of resolved cases to 33,963.
Hospitalizations rose for the first time this week, with 154 people in hospital. Of those, 35 are in the intensive care unit and 21 are using a ventilator to breathe.
The province conducted 26,001 COVID-19 tests since Wednesday.
"We continue to lead the country in daily testing," added Elliott.
