London

MLHU posts record 184 COVID cases Tuesday and 4 more deaths

The Middlesex London Health Unit is reporting 184 COVID-19 cases Thursday, a new record following Monday's high. Four more people have died of the virus, bring the local death toll to 112.

The death toll for the region is now up to 112

A sign informs customers that capacity limits are in effect at Masonville Place in London, Ont. (Colin Butler/CBC)

Recent developments:

  • There are a record 184 COVID-19 cases in Middlesex-London
  • Four more people have died of the virus
  • There are 67 new cases in Elgin-Oxford, along with seven more deaths
  • Ontario posted 3,128 new cases, while 157 more people went to hospitals 

What's the situation for the London area?

The Middlesex London Health Unit (MLHU) reported another record case count Tuesday. There are 184 new COVID-19 infections in Middlesex-London, and four more deaths.

Those who died from the virus include a man in his 70s who was a resident of a long-term care home. Two women, one in their 70s and another in their 90s, and a man in his 60s also died. The local death toll is now up to 112.

The seven-day average of positive infections is now up to 110 cases per day. There have been 542 cases so far in January, far surpassing the total number of cases the region saw in the entire month of November.

There are now 950 known active cases of COVID-19 in the London area. There have been 3,856 confirmed cases in Middlesex-London since the pandemic began.

What's the latest at local hospitals?

The number of inpatients with COVID-19 at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is 38, including nine people who are in critical care. There are 27 staff members who have currently tested positive for the virus.

Victoria Hospital continues to deal with two outbreaks, one in the D7-200 Medicine unit and another in the D5-300 Medicine unit. Both outbreaks have fewer than five patients and fewer than five staff. There have been no deaths associated with the outbreaks.

Meanwhile, LHSC has resorted to storing bodies inside a refrigerated trailer as the region's largest morgue has reached capacity. 

COVID-19 across the region and beyond

There were seven more deaths and 67 new cases of coronavirus reported in Elgin-Oxford Tuesday, according to Southwestern Public Health. There are 402 known active cases in the region, with the highest number (107) in Tillsonburg, where a seniors' facility is battling an outbreak.

St. Thomas, Woodstock and Aylmer also have dozens of ongoing cases in their communities.

Across the province, there are 3,128 new COVID-19 cases and 51 more deaths.

The number of active cases and hospitalizations have reached pandemic highs with 25,840 ongoing infections and 1,347 people in hospitals. There are 352 people in critical care and 245 people now on ventilators.