Public health officials reported seven new cases of COVID-19 in the London-area on Tuesday.
The more than half a dozen new infections are up from five on Monday and match Sunday's seven. The additional cases recorded over the last 24 hours bring the region's COVID-19 case count up to 812.
The Middlesex London Health Unit said one more person has recovered from the virus, increasing the number of resolved cases to 685. Seventy active cases remain in the region.
A new facility-wide outbreak has been declared at a London retirement home. An employee at Ashwood Manor tested positive for the virus on Monday. This is the second outbreak to be declared within a retirement facility this month. Chesley Park has been dealing with an outbreak on the fourth floor of the home since September 9.
There has not been a COVID-19 related death in London or Middlesex County since June 12 when a woman in her 90s became the area's 57th person to died from the virus.
London's two COVID-19 assessment centres were again flooded with people seeking tests on Tuesday. The health unit reported that by 1 p.m. the Oakridge Area assessment centre had reached capacity, while the wait time at the Carling Heights assessment centre was four hours. The surge of those seeking tests for the virus come a day after the city reported its first COVID-19 case within a high school. The infected person is from H.B. Beal Secondary School. Those who were in close contact with the individual were notified by the health unit. Everyone else within the school community is advised to monitor for coronavirus symptoms as a precaution.
In Elgin and Oxford counties, the number of active cases is now in the single digits. Southwestern Public Health said on Tuesday there were no additional cases confirmed and one more person previously diagnosed with the virus has recovered. That leaves the two counties' total number of cases since the start of the pandemic at 263 with 249 cases resolved. The death toll is unchanged at five.
Provincial public health officials have reported Ontario’s highest number of new single-day infections since May.
A total of 478 new cases were confirmed over the last 24 hours. Daily numbers have not reached that level since May 2 when 511 infections were reported.
Health Minister Christine Elliott noted just three of the province's 34 health units accounted for the bulk of the cases recorded Tuesday.
"There are 153 new cases in Toronto with 95 in Peel and 90 in Ottawa. Sixty-eight per cent of today’s cases are in people under the age of 40," tweeted Elliott.
The new cases increase Ontario's total number of infections since the pandemic began in January to 47,752.
There were three more COVID-19 linked deaths in the province over the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 2,832.
Recoveries are up to 41,342.
The number of people infected with the virus in hospital has increased to 82. Of those, 24 are in intensive care and 11 are relying on a ventilator to breathe.
The province conducted 32,400 tests for the virus over the last recorded 24 hour period. Only 16,305 tests were completed on May 2, when the province reported the more than 500 case increase.
