MIDDLESEX CENTRE, ONT. -- The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) is reporting 59 new COVID-19 cases and one death Friday.

The death was a man in his 70s not associated with a long-term care or retirement home.

The region now has a total of 11,886 cases and 217 deaths, with 11,053 cases resolved leaving 616 active.

The number of cases is on par with daily counts earlier this week, but down from Thursday's total of 94 new cases.

There are now 2,734 cases with a variant of concern – almost all the B.1.1.7 variant that originated in the U.K. – but the number of cases of the P.1 variant from Brazil has risen to 32.

The London Health Sciences Centre is currently dealing with 48 inpatients with COVID-19, of those 19 are in the Intensive Care Unit. Out-of-region transfers accounts for four patients in acute care and six in the ICU.

MLHU Medical Officer of Health Dr. Chris Mackie is asking people to continue to abide by the stay-at-home order this long weekend.

During a media briefing Thursday he said, "This is the weekend where we could blow it all. We want to have a wonderful summer, we want to put this pandemic away to bed. If we take risks this weekend it jeopardizes all of that."

He is asking people to go and enjoy the outdoors, but to not gather indoors or travel outside of their region.

Meanwhile the province announced Friday that youth 12 and over could begin booking vaccinations on May 23, a week ahead of scheduled.

There are currently four active outbreaks at London-area seniors' facilities and one at a child-care centre.

Southwestern Public Health continues to deal with an outbreak at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital there have been 19 cases and one death.

Here are the most recently available numbers from other local public health authorities:

  • Elgin-Oxford – 15 new, 104 active, 3,714 total, 3,531 resolved, 79 deaths, 720 variants
  • Grey-Bruce – 13 new, 57 active, 1,324 total, 1,260 resolved, seven deaths, 370 variants
  • Haldimand-Norfolk – two new, 94 active, 2,585 total, 2,442 resolved, 44 deaths (one new)
  • Huron-Perth – 11 new, 72 active, 1,757 total, 1,628 resolved, 57 deaths, 226 variants
  • Sarnia-Lambton – 11 new, 71 active, 3,441 total, 3,311 resolved, 59 deaths (one new), 542 variants

Across Ontario, new infections were below 2,000 again, with 1,890 new cases reported Friday.