111 new COVID-19 cases in London area Friday, LHSC to expand critical care
An additional 7 critical care beds are set to open next week
Recent developments:
- Ontario is reporting 4,505 new cases of COVID-19 and 34 additional deaths Friday.
- London Health Sciences Centre is adding seven more critical care beds next week.
- The Ministry of Health says pregnant people are now a priority for vaccines in the province.
What's the COVID-19 situation for the London area?
The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) is reporting 111 new cases of COVID-19 Friday and no additional deaths.
The seven-day rolling average for daily counts is 100. There have now been 9,721 cases in Middlesex-London since the pandemic began and 195 deaths.
Contact tracing shows 80 of the new infections were from contact with a known case. There were six associated with an outbreak and four connected to international travel. The remaining cases had no known link.
The health unit reported 112 recoveries Friday, with 1,034 know active cases in the region.
The MLHU says they have reached a new record for vaccinations in the region, with 18,370 people getting a shot at their three mass immunization clinics over the last week.
Vaccination eligibility has been expanded to include people 16 and older with high-risk health conditions, including organ transplant recipients, neurological diseases and obesity. Full details can be found on the MLHU vaccine eligibility site.
Appointments for a COVID-19 vaccine can be made online at www.covidvaccinelm.ca, or by calling 226-289-3560 from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily.
People 40 years of age and older can book an AstraZeneca vaccine at local pharmacies. More information and a list of available locals to book can be found on the province's website. Some pharmacies have been offering walk-in shots, first come first serve.
Tristan Turner’s roommate saw a tweet about <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> vax available at this Shoppers at Highbury and Huron. He got here right away and now has a ticket for a shot. Admits this is a ridiculous way to distribute vaccines. Scores of others are here but no more shots left. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ldnont?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ldnont</a> <a href="https://t.co/zJwwdDVKV1">pic.twitter.com/zJwwdDVKV1</a>
—@AndrewLuptonCBCLHSC to add seven additional critical care beds
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) announced Friday they're adding an additional seven critical care beds. The move comes at the request of the Ontario Critical Care COVID-19 Command Table as hospitals continue to help with demand for outside of the region in the coming weeks.
"The situation in Ontario is evolving, which demands that we plan for all potential scenarios to ensure we have the capacity to respond if the need materializes," said Dr. Jackie Schleifer Taylor, Interim President and CEO at LHSC and Children's Hospital.
"We have been very thorough in our approach to considering how we can best leverage our internal resources to both add capacity to the system's pandemic response as well as ensure we preserve the ability to meet the non-COVID-19 critical care and trauma needs of our community. As we make these planning decisions, the safety of our patients, staff, and physicians remains our core principle."
The hospital network is currently caring for 91 patients with COVID-19, including 41 in critical care. According to the LHSC, 37 of those patients are from outside the region. There are eight staff members who have tested positive for the virus and are in isolation.
COVID-19 across the region and beyond
Southwestern Public Health posted 12 new infections Friday and one more death. There are currently 168 ongoing cases in Elgin-Oxford, including 52 in St. Thomas, 40 in Woodstock and 23 in Tillsonburg.
Huron Perth Public Health is reporting two new COVID-19 cases for their region, including one in North Perth and one in Bluewater. The number of cases in Huron-Perth during the third wave has not mirrored what happened during the second wave. There have been 103 cases so far in April. For comparison, there were 450 cases in January.
Meanwhile, there were 4,505 more COVID-19 cases across Ontario and 34 additional deaths.
The province said pregnant people can now book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said that the change was made in light of "emerging data on the increased risk of severe illness" for pregnant people.