London

3 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Middlesex-London Tuesday

The Middlesex-London Health Unit reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, including a case linked to the community outbreak who is not a Western student.

1 case is linked to the community outbreak but not a Western student

A number of people waited along the curb at the Oakridge Arena to get tested for COVID-19. There were 355 people swabbed at the west-end assessment centre on Monday. (Travis Dolynny/CBC)

The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, including one case linked to the community outbreak but who is not connected to Western University.

According to the latest data from the health unit, an additional case that was previously confirmed was included today, bringing the local tally to 760 cases since the pandemic began. There were three people in their 20s and one person in their 30s added, including one man and three women. Three of the cases were attributed to an outbreak, while one case was from travel.

One of the newly reported cases is a health care worker from a long-term care home. The MLHU did not release the location of the facility.

A total of eight Western students have contracted the novel coronavirus in recent days and were reported to have visited downtown restaurants and bars.

Testing remained high in London on Monday. There were 414 people tested at the Carling Heights Optimist Community Centre and 355 people swabbed at the Oakridge Arena. Some 220 tests were also taken at Western's new testing trailer, which was forced to shut down early due to demand.

On Tuesday, the health unit said the Carling Heights assessment centre was "at capacity" by 1:30, less than three hours after it opened. 

There are now 25 known active cases in Middlesex-London.

COVID-19 across the region and beyond

The Southwestern Public Health Unit, which includes St. Thomas, Woodstock, and Elgin and Oxford counties, reported no new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday. The local case count is up to 258, with five known active cases in the region.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit reported five new COVID-19 cases, including three residents at the Dolce Vita retirement home.

Meanwhile, Ontario reported 251 additional cases on Tuesday, with the bulk of the cases in Toronto, Ottawa and Peel.

Cases have been on an upswing since mid-August in Ontario, with numbers topping 200 a day since Sept. 12.