COVID-19 hospitalizations in London have hit a low not seen since late March.
The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) reported 23 patients with COVID-19 in its care on Wednesday, down by ten from the previous day. This is the first time in more than two months hospitalizations related to the virus were under 25, the last time was on March 23 when 23 COVID positive people were admitted.
The LHSC specified that, of the 23 COVID-19 patients at its hospitals, 12 are being treated for COVID-19, while 11 were admitted for other reasons but also have the virus.
The number of people with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit was unchanged at five or fewer over the past 24 hours. At Children’s Hospital there were five or fewer inpatients with the virus, with none listed in paediatric critical care.
The hospital network reported on Wednesday that it currently has 75 employees who have tested positive for the virus. That is up three from Tuesday.
The Middlesex London Health Unit confirmed a woman in her 60s is the latest person in the region to succumb to the virus. The woman was not associated with a long-term care or retirement home, the health unit said. This is the region’s first COVID-19 related death in a week. It brings the local death toll up to 392
Another 53 COVID-19 cases were logged on Wednesday, up from 15 the previous day. The total case count since the pandemic began is now 38,215. Resolved cases increased to 37,438, leaving the number of known active cases locally at 385. However, public health officials have said current case numbers are likely an underestimation of the true number of people with the virus due to eligibility changes for lab-based PCR testing.
Southwestern Public Health reported 18 more COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, increasing the local case count since the pandemic began to 13,921. There were no additional deaths recorded, leaving the death toll at 169. Resolved cases rose to 13,669 and there are now 83 known active cases in the two counties.
Ontario reported a decrease in both COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions on Wednesday.
A total of 722 people infected with the virus are currently in hospitals across the province. That is down 86 compared to Tuesday. At this time last week, there were 1,082 COVID-19 positive people in the hospital. Forty-one per cent of the people in hospital on Wednesday were admitted because of the virus, while 59 per cent were there for other reasons but tested positive for COVID-19.
Of those in hospital, 127 are in the ICU, a drop of 13 from the previous day.
According to public health officials, there were 24 additional deaths related to the virus on Wednesday. Twenty-three of those deaths occurred within the last month, while one occurred more than a month ago. The official death toll now stands at 13,265.
The province recorded 1030 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, which is considered an underestimate of community spread. Daily case numbers are no longer thought to be a true reflection of spread of the virus in the province as the government has limited who is eligible for a free PCR test. Ontario’s total case count since the start of the pandemic now sits at 1,304,063.
Resolved cases across the province are up by 1,478 to 1,281,066.
In the last 24 hour period, 13,097 COVID-19 tests were processed. Ontario’s positivity rate is currently 8.3 per cent, down from 8.4 per cent a week ago.
The province has administered 33,375,390 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday night. Figures show 91.3 per cent of Ontarians 12 and older have received both doses of the vaccine. There are more than 7.3 million people in the province who have received their third shot.
