Four more people have died from COVID-19 in the London region since Monday.
The Middlesex London Health Unit confirmed Thursday, two women and two men in their 60s, 80s, and 90s have succumbed to the virus. Only the woman in her 60s was linked to a long-term care home. The four deaths increase the local death toll to 452.
Another 181 new cases were recorded in the area over the past three days. The health unit only updates its COVID-19 dashboard twice a week and daily case tallies are believed to be an underestimate of community spread since the provincial government limited eligibility for PCR testing at the end of December. The total number of confirmed cases locally since March 2020 is now 43,566, according to the health unit.
The number of resolved cases is up to 42,520. Currently, there are 594 known active cases in the region, up from 531 a week ago.
The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) confirmed it currently has 58 inpatients with COVID-19 in its care, up three since Monday. The number of people hospitalized with the virus at the LHSC has bounced between the low 40s and mid-60s since the start of September.
Of those currently hospitalized, there are 16 being treated for COVID-19 and 42 being treated for other ailments but have also tested positive.
There are currently five or fewer COVID infected patients listed in the intensive care unit, unchanged from Monday. Children’s Hospital has five or fewer inpatients with the virus, including five or fewer listed in paediatric critical care.
The number of hospital employees who have contracted COVID-19 went up on Thursday. The LHSC said it has 69 infected staffers, an increase of 7 since the start of the week.
There are currently two level two COVID-19 outbreaks at the LHSC. Both are at Victoria Hospital in south London – one is on the
B7 200/PICU, the other is on the B7 100 Mental Health unit.
Southwestern Public Health, the health unit for Elgin and Oxford counties, reported 151 more COVID-19 cases this week, increasing the local case count since the pandemic began to 16,096. Four additional COVID-19 deaths were recorded in the region, increasing the local death toll at 188. Resolved cases rose to 15,709 and there are now 199 known active cases in the two counties.
