The Middlesex-London Health Unit is reporting four new COVID-19 cases, though its total case count only increased by two on Tuesday, likely due to data clean-up.
The total case count stands at 12,599 with 54 active cases. The number of recoveries climbed by seven to 12,319.
Five more variant cases have been flagged for a total of 3,487.
The breakdown of variant cases is as follows:
3,359 cases of the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7), first identified in the U.K.
96 cases of the Gamma (P.1) variant, first identified in Brazil
20 cases of the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant, first identified in India
two cases of the Beta (B.1.351) variant, first identified in South Africa
one case of the Kappa (B.1.617.1) variant, first identified in India
one case of the Zeta (P.2) variant, first identified in Brazil
There are also two cases listed only as B.1.617 and one case listed as B.1.617.3.
A total of 11,398 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in London since the pandemic began, while 360 have been in Middlesex Centre and 335 in Strathroy-Caradoc.
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Hospitalizations
The London Health Sciences Centre says it is caring for at 11 inpatients with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, an increase of two from Monday, with fewer than five in the ICU.
Of those, no patients in acute care are from outside of the region and fewer than five in the ICU are from outside of the region. In an effort to protect the privacy of patients, LHSC only provides specific numbers when there are more than five.
Fewer than five staff members currently have COVID-19.
At St. Joseph’s Health Care London, the organization reported no current COVID-19 cases among its patients or staff.
As of Monday, six cases were associated with the outbreak, though medical officer of health Dr. Chris Mackie said the health unit was awaiting “a number of tests of people who were contacts.”
Anyone who attended any indoor gatherings at the church between June 20 and June 30 is asked to monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 and to get tested if symptoms develop.
Vaccinations and testing
The MLHU released updated data on vaccine coverage in the region on Tuesday.
The data, which is dated to the end of the day on July 3, shows that 76.7 per cent of residents age 12 and older have had at least one dose while 34.8 per cent are fully vaccinated.
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As of the end of day July 3, 502,545 doses of COVID-19 had been administered in the region.
On Monday, Mackie noted that roughly 100,000 of those doses were administered in just the last two weeks.
He also stressed the importance of vaccination, stating that of the roughly 200 COVID-19 cases the health unit reported in the same time frame, 92 per cent involved people were unvaccinated while the remaining eight per cent involved people who were only partially vaccinated.
MLHU data showing COVID-19 vaccine coverage among residents as of the end of day July 3, 2021.
One-day pop-up community clinics at select schools in the city and county wrap up Tuesday with a clinic at Strathroy District Collegiate Institute in Strathroy.
During Monday afternoon’s scheduled media briefing, officials said a one-day walk-in clinic will be held Thursday at Citi Plaza in downtown London.
Ontario reported 164 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, marking the smallest daily increase since Sept. 9, 2020.
However, 80 cases from Toronto in 2020 were added to the count which officially registered 244 cases for Tuesday. The provincial case total now stands at 546,217.
According to Tuesday’s report, 112 cases were recorded in Toronto (80 were from last year), 26 in Peel Region, 25 in Waterloo Region, 13 in York Region and 10 in Grey Bruce.
All other local public health units reported fewer than 10 new cases in the provincial report.
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The death toll in the province has risen to 9,224 as nine more deaths were recorded.
Provincially, 78.4 per cent of adults (18+) have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine while 47.8 per cent are fully vaccinated.
One additional variant case was confirmed, bringing that total to 813. Of those, 750 involve the Alpha variant.
There are no active institutional outbreaks reported in the region.
The region’s test positivity rate fell to 1.2 per cent for the week of June 20, down from 1.5 per cent for the week of June 13 but still above the 0.9 per cent recorded the week of June 6.
As of Monday, SWPH says 63.2 per cent of residents age 12 and older have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 27.6 per cent are fully vaccinated.
All individuals aged 12 and up are eligible to re-book their second appointment through the online booking portal or by phone at 1-800-922-0096 ext. 9, provided that second-dose appointments are booked at least 28 days after the first dose of an mRNA vaccine was administered.
Lambton Public Health reported two new COVID-19 cases and eight recoveries on Tuesday.
The region’s total case count stands at 3,614 with 11 active cases, 3,541 recoveries and 62 deaths.
According to Bluewater Health, three patients in their care are confirmed to have COVID-19, an increase of one from Monday.
The region’s variant case tally is 648 as of Tuesday, an increase of one from Monday.
An outbreak declared June 25 at Afton Park Place, a long-term care home, continues. It involves fewer than five cases among residents and fewer than five cases among staff and caregivers.
The region’s test positivity rate climbed to 2.0 per cent for the week of June 20, up from 1.8 per cent for the week of June 13.
For the COVID-19 vaccine, residents can book and re-book using the health unit’s registration page. People can also call the vaccine call centre at 226-254-8222, however, call volume is expected to be very high.
Some pharmacies are also continuing to offer Pfizer or Moderna shots.
Lambton Public Health says 73.3 per cent of adults have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 43.6 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated.
— With files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues and Matthew Trevithick
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
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