LONDON, ONT. -- A London retirement residence that was among the first such homes to report positive cases of COVID-19 late last month is now experiencing a major outbreak.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) said Friday there were 14 new cases of the virus at Grand Wood Park Retirement Residence on Grand Ave. in London’s Old South neighbourhood.
That’s in addition to the two cases reported on March 29. Of the 14 new cases, the health unit says one person is in hospital.
“The outbreak was contained for some time due to the hard work of staff at Grand Wood,” said MLHU Medical Officer of Health Dr. Chris Mackie. “We are now unfortunately seeing additional cases. What this triggers for us is a whole new round of testing so that everyone in the facility now whether they have symptoms or not will be tested."
The health unit said outbreaks are declared at long-term care homes and retirement residences once a single positive infection has been confirmed.
Mackie told a daily online news scrum that it’s in retirement and long term care homes that the battle of COVID-19 has been taking place.
“We’re seeing the number of cases and deaths in the community declining and the number of significant cases and mortality in those homes…increasing. So that’s where we are focusing our attention now.”
Despite the outbreak, the health unit said in a release, "an assessment of the infection prevention and control measures currently in place at the residence and found them to be satisfactory."
The new 24 cases reported by the MLHU on Friday bring the total in the region to 282, including 125 resolved and 16 deaths. That's two new deaths in the past 24 hours.
The cases include 69 at area long-term care and retirement homes.
The health unit's daily briefings are available on YouTube.
No new cases in Lambton, Elgin-Oxford, Huron-Perth
There were no new cases of COVID-19 in Sarnia-Lambton over the last 24 hours, but there were two additional deaths.
Lambton Public Health reports the total number of cases stands at 128 on Friday, while the death toll has risen from 11 to 13.
There were no new cases reported in Elgin and Oxford counties on Friday either, with the total number of cases remaining at 41, including three deaths and 10 resolved.
Huron Perth Public Health reported the total there stood at 35 cases as of Friday, also with no new cases in the last 24 hours.
Those cases include 12 among staff and patients at two area long-term care and retirement homes, as well as three deaths and nine recovered cases.
Grey-Bruce Public Health reported one new case Friday, a man in his 80s who is in isolation.
That brings the region's total to 45, including 10 recovered cases and 14 among health-care workers. There continues to be no deaths in those counties.
There was another record number of deaths and cases across the province reported on Friday, with 55 deaths and 564 new cases reported.
