266 new COVID-19 cases in London area and 1 death since Saturday
There were 135 additional variants of concern
Recent developments:
- Health unit expands vaccine eligibility to people 65 and older.
- There are six ongoing outbreaks at residences at Western University and five at local schools.
- Ontario reported another 3,065 cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths on Tuesday.
What's the latest for the London area?
The Middlesex London Health Unit (MLHU) is reporting 266 new cases of COVID-19 since Saturday. The health unit did not update their coronavirus dashboard on Sunday and Monday. A woman in her 90s who was not associated with long-term care has died.
The latest case update includes 79 infections reported Tuesday. There 114 case on Sunday and 73 cases on Monday. The seven-day rolling average for daily cases is up to 99.
There have been 124 recoveries since Saturday, with 883 known active cases in the region, according to the MLHU.
There was one additional confirmed variant of concern originating from the U.K., along with another 134 screened variants. There have been nine confirmed variants and 414 screened variants showing a mutation to the virus.
London Health Sciences Centre is reporting 25 patients with COVID-19, including nine in critical care. There are also 10 staff who have tested positive for the virus.
The MLHU and Southwestern Public Health have expanded vaccine eligibility to those 65 and older, effective immediately. Anyone born in 1956 or earlier can book an appointment to get their first dose of vaccine at one of the region's mass vaccination clinics.
Appointments can be booked online at www.covidvaccinelm.ca or by calling 226-289-3560.
What's the situation at local schools?
There are currently 19 active cases of COVID-19 across 14 schools in the London area, according to the health unit. There are also five schools in an outbreak situation, including:
- Riverbend Academy
- Ekcoe Central School
- Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School
- Northridge Public School
- Holy Rosary Catholic School
According to the MLHU, all students, teachers and staff who have tested positive for the virus are in quarantine.
Students returned to in-person learning in Middlesex-London Tuesday. Spring Break is happening next week for students and teachers across the region.
Climbing case counts among post-secondary schools continue with six active outbreaks at residences at Western University. According to the health unit, there are currently 83 cases connected to the outbreaks.
The residence buildings affected include:
- Ontario Hall Residence (14 cases)
- Saugeen-Maitland Hall Residence (30 cases)
- Elgin Hall Residence (9 cases)
- Medway-Sudenham Hall Residence (19 cases)
- Delaware Hall Residence (6 cases)
- Essex Hall Residence (5 cases)
Starting today, the majority of classes and final exams moved online for Western students and the university is encouraging those living in residences to move out and go home.
COVID-19 across the region and beyond
Southwestern Public Health is reporting 76 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday, including 13 new cases today. There are 120 ongoing cases in Elgin-Oxford, including 34 in Woodstock, 27 in St. Thomas, 13 in Ingersoll and 11 in Aylmer.
Huron Perth Public Health posted three additional cases Tuesday, including one in Stratford and two in Perth County. There are now 22 active cases across the region.
Meanwhile, Ontario reported 3,065 cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, along with eight additional deaths.
Critical Care Services Ontario says there were 497 people with coronavirus being treated in intensive care units across the province, the highest at any point in the pandemic. There are currently nine people in critical care in London.