LONDON, ONT. -- The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported 140 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, roughly double the cases reported Tuesday.
It is the first triple-digit increase in several days and counts as one of the highest single day increases of the pandemic for the region.
There have now been a total of 10,202 cases, with 9,066 resolved.
The jump in cases means the number of active cases also climbed following several days of decreases. There are now 939 active cases.
Meanwhile the number of variant cases also rose slightly to a total of 1,570 cases, with the vast majority being the B.1.1.7 variant that originated in the U.K. Another 264 cases are mutation positive.
As of end of day Monday, the region has administered more than 150,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Mackie told CTV News Tuesday that fewer people are getting tested for the virus, meaning the case counts don’t show the whole picture.
“Essentially, our rates are flat. We’re not seeing a significant decline in the rate. We’re seeing less testing, meaning less cases. But the percentage of test results that are positive is still stubbornly high, and actually increasing at the provincial level.”
There are active outbreaks at five area schools, two child-care centres and seven Western University residences, although very few additional cases have been reported in recent days.
The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) has 93 inpatients positive for COVID-19, with 40 in intensive care. Six staff are also COVID-19 positive.
Here are the most recently available numbers from other local public health authorities:
- Elgin-Oxford – 13 new, 141 active, 3,373 total, 3,156 resolved, 76 deaths, 370 variants
- Haldimand-Norfolk – 19 new, 286 active, 2,231 total, 1,899 resolved, 41 deaths
- Huron-Perth – eight new, 35 active, 1,565 total, 1,478 resolved, 52 deaths, 87 variants
- Sarnia-Lambton – 19 new, 78 active, 3,217 total, 3,083 resolved, 56 deaths, 343 variants
- Grey-Bruce – two new, 80 active, 1,172 total, 1,092 resolved, five deaths,
Ontario reported than 3,480 new COVID-19 cases as the test positivity rate dipped 10 per cent.
The Ministry of Health said in a statement Wednesday that case counts for some health units in the Central West Region, including Hamilton and Niagara, may be higher today due to a "data catch-up process."
With files from CTV News Toronto.