Both London-Middlesex and Oxford-Elgin reported a jump in COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.
The Middlesex London Health Unit said eight more people tested positive for the virus over the past 24 hours. That is up from just one new infection on Monday. Since the pandemic began, the region has had a total of 1,154 cases.
Eight more people recovered from the virus since Monday, to increase the number of resolved cases to 1,045. Currently, there are 48 active cases of the virus in the region.
There were no new deaths related to COVID-19 recorded in London or Middlesex County Tuesday. That leaves the death toll unchanged at 61, with four deaths since the start of October.
The number of outbreaks at local long-term care and retirement homes has gone down to just three after Oakcrossing Retirement Living declared the issue resolved at its facility. Outbreaks remain at Chartwell Royalcliffe Retirement Residence, Henley Place LTC Residence, and Strathmere Lodge. A resident of an area long-term care home was among the eight new cases in London-Middlesex.
Southwestern Public Health, the health unit for Elgin and Oxford counties, logged 20 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday as it continues to deal with an outbreak among agricultural workers. The health unit confirmed Monday at least 31 people, all connected to a "congregate living setting" in Bayham, have contracted the virus with more positive cases possible. In total, 157 people living at the address were tested. The health unit is still awaiting the results of several of those tested.
The two counties now have a combined case count of 357, with 307 cases resolved and five deaths. There are 45 active cases in the area.
Ontario recorded its highest number of new COVID-19 cases in a single day on Tuesday.
Public health officials said there were 1,050 new infections recorded over the past 24 hour period. That breaks the previous record high of 1,042 cases from October 25.
"There are 408 new cases in Toronto, 212 in Peel, 86 in Halton, 76 in York Region and 57 in Durham,” Health Minister Christine Elliott tweeted.
The spike in new infections brings Ontario’s total case count since January to 77,655.
Fourteen additional COVID-19 linked deaths were reported since Monday, increasing the death toll to 3,152. Resolved cases rose to 66,407 with 837 recoveries confirmed Tuesday.
The number of infected Ontarians in hospital sits at 328. Of those, 75 are in the intensive care unit and 45 are relying on ventilators to breathe.
In the last 24 hours, nearly 25,300 COVID-19 tests were processed in Ontario, about half of the province's testing capacity.
