MIDDLESEX CENTRE, ONT. -- The Middlesex-London Health Unit is reporting 46 new COVID-19 cases and no deaths Wednesday, the fifth day in a row there have been no COVID-19-related deaths.

Wednesday's count marks an increase from the 11 cases reported Tuesday, but remains in line with weekend counts, which averaged just shy of 50 cases. The last death was reported on Friday.

The region now has a total of 12,076 cases and 217 deaths, with 11,420 cases resolved leaving 439 active. There are now 2,917 cases with a variant of concern – of which more than 98 percent are the B.1.1.7 variant originating from the U.K.

The London Health Sciences Centre is currently handling 39 inpatients with COVID-19, of which 15 are in Intensive Care. Out-of-region transfers accounts for five patients in acute care and fewer than five in the ICU.

During a virtual media briefing Tuesday, LHSC's Dr. Adam Dukelow said the number of COVID-19-positive cases continues to decline, though provincial critical care numbers remain high.

He added, "We have begun to accept patients from Manitoba. At present, this number of patients coming to us from the west remains below five. We anticipate further transfers over the coming weeks as they are just hitting the peak of their third wave."

Even with those new transfers, Dukelow says LHSC is slowly increasing surgical activity, but balancing that against maintaining critical care capacity.

There are three ongoing outbreaks at London-area seniors' facilities, one in a school and one in a child-care setting.

An ongoing outbreak at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital continues, with 19 cases and three deaths to date.

Meanwhile an outbreak at Bluewater Health's Acute Medicine unit in Sarnia has been declared over, though the hospital continues to care for nine COVID-19-positive patients.

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

  • Elgin-Oxford – five new, 81 active, 3,751 total, 3,590 resolved, 80 deaths, 752 variants
  • Grey-Bruce – none new, 29 active, 1,336 total, 1,300 resolved, seven deaths, 380 variants
  • Haldimand-Norfolk – one new, 70 active, 2,620 total, 2,499 resolved, 45 deaths
  • Huron-Perth – two new, 37 active, 1,776 total, 1,682 resolved, 57 deaths, 245 variants
  • Sarnia-Lambton – two new, 48 active, 3,462 total, 3,354 resolved, 60 deaths, 562 variants

Lambton Public Health is asking full-time and seasonal residents to report if they've gotten a COVID-19 vaccination out-of-province or out-of-country, in an effort to maintain local records.

The survey information is confidential and will be added to the provincial database when possible. Anyone who got their first dose elsewhere and needs to book a second dose locally is asked to complete the survey and then contact the vaccine call centre at 226-254-8222.

For a second straight day, fewer than 1,100 cases were reported in Ontario, and the positivity rate fell slightly to 5.3 per cent.