New pop-up clinics unveiled as MLHU reports eight new COVID-19 cases

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Middlesex Centre, Ont. -

The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported eight new COVID-19 cases Tuesday as it unveiled plans for pop-up clinics at CF Masonville Place to appeal to holiday shoppers.

Middlesex-London now has a total of 14,883 cases and 252 related deaths (none new), with 14,479 cases resolved leaving 152 active. The seven-day moving average is down to 17.3 from 18 on Monday.

Of the cases with an episode date in the past six weeks, 50.2 per cent are among the unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or those not yet protected by the vaccine. The same group also accounts for 55.6 per cent of hospitalizations and 66.7 per cent of deaths.

The London Health Sciences Centre says it is caring for 19 inpatients with COVID-19, one more in the last 24 hours, while the number of cases in in adult Critical Care sits at nine.

There are ongoing outbreaks at two post-secondary residences, one at Western University's Saugeen-Maitland Hall Residence and another at Fanshawe College's Merlin House Residence.

As of Saturday, 816,494 vaccine doses have been administered in Middlesex-London, meaning 90.2 per cent of those 12 and older have received at least one dose, while 87.5 per cent are fully vaccinated. Third doses have been rolled out to 3.7 per cent of the eligible population.

But the health unit wants to see more people get vaccinated and is rolling out another pop-up vaccination clinic at CF Masonville Place for the month of December hoping to reach holiday shoppers.

Maureen MacCormick, director of Healthy Living and COO for the MLHU’s COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics said in a statement, “We hope that with easier access to the vaccine, we will get even better coverage and uptake, especially now that children between the ages of five and 11 are no eligible."

Complete hours, location and dates can be found here.

Meanwhile Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) is reporting 27 new cases Tuesday in Elgin and Oxford counties. Currently, 12 patients are in hospital with three in Critical Care.

The majority of active cases are in St. Thomas, which has 46 active cases, followed by Tillsonburg with 33 and Woodstock with 32.

An active outbreak continues at the Aylmer Retirement Residence while a new outbreak has been declared at Caressant Care Bonnie Place in St. Thomas.

Schools in the region in outbreak include; Straffordville Public School, St. Michael's Catholic School in Woodstock, as well as St. Joseph's Catholic School, Westfield Public School and Glendale High School, all three of which are in Tillsonburg.

An outbreak that closed Port Burwell Public School has finally been declared over. The school is set to reopen on Dec. 2.

On Monday, SWPH announced it was strengthening capacity limits in eight of its municipalities starting this Thursday.

REGIONAL COVID-19 COUNTS

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

• Elgin-Oxford – 27 new, 204 active, 5,370 total, 5,068 resolved, 98 deaths
• Grey-Bruce – three new, 47 active, 2,536 total, 2,462 resolved, 23 deaths
• Haldimand-Norfolk – one new, 134 active, 3,466 total, 3,269 resolved, 56 deaths
• Huron-Perth – 29 new, 48 active, 2,554 total, 2,414 resolved, 70 deaths (one new)
• Sarnia-Lambton – four new, 37 active, 4,372 total, 4,258 resolved, 77 deaths (one new)

An outbreak at Bluewater Health in Sarnia continues, with fewer than five staff and the same number of patients affected.

Ontario health officials reported 687 new COVID-19 cases across the province Tuesday and three additional deaths, pushing the overall provincial death toll over 10,000.