Public health officials are warning of the risk of COVID as the region and the province document evidence of a rise in COVID cases.
Public health officials are warning of the risk of COVID as the region and the province document evidence of a rise in cases. This week, three London-area hospitals announced they are updating their masking policies in an attempt to combat the spread of the virus. Here’s what is happening in the region.
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London-Middlesex
There are indications London and surrounding Middlesex County are seeing an increase in COVID cases, according to Middlesex-London Health Unit’s associate medical officer of health.
“We are seeing an increase in, for example, test per hundred positivity, as well as hospitalizations starting to have increased. . . as well as in our wastewater surveillance,” Joanne Kearon said. “So, along a number of indicators, there are signs of there being an increase in COVID-19 activity.”
Kearon said masking and hand hygiene are effective methods for thwarting the spread of COVID, but cited vaccination as “by far the No. 1 action that a person can take to protect themselves.”
The Middlesex-London Health Unit will be providing more information on the “full vaccine campaign being launched this week,” for those seeking vaccines or booster shots.
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According to the health unit’s own statistics, there were 242 active COVID cases in London and Middlesex County as of Sept. 26, 194 of which were in London. Between Sept. 17 and Sept. 23, there were 137 confirmed cases and two deaths, and test positivity was 23.8 per cent. Middlesex-London Health Unit will have updated numbers for the past week on Wednesday.
Southwestern Public Health
Ninh Tran, medical officer of health for Southwestern Public Health, said the region that includes Oxford and Elgin counties is also seeing more cases.
“The last four weeks, we’ve seen increasing numbers of cases, test positivity, hospitalizations and outbreaks,” Tran said. “It’s happening all over the province that the amount of COVID has been increasing over the last four weeks everywhere. I’d be surprised to find any region in Ontario that’s (not). I’m not aware of any region in Ontario where it’s not increasing,” Tran said.
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Tran shares Kearon’s recommendation of getting vaccinated. “Cases are rising, outbreaks are rising, hospitalizations are rising. If you have a loved one in a long-term care, retirement home or hospital setting, please speak to their health care provider about getting them vaccinated right away,” Tran said.
Southwestern Public Health also is launching a campaign to vaccinate people, with the first delivery of the newest vaccine formulation reserved for the community’s most vulnerable. Clinic times, dates and locations as well as booking information can be found at www.swpublichealth.ca/covid19.
The numbers last week according to Tran were 50 confirmed cases, 11.2 per cent test positivity rate and 23 hospitalizations.
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Southwestern Public Health’s dashboard to track stats is currently paused, but should be operational later this week.
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Ontario
Public Health Ontario reports the province conducted 18,478 laboratory tests and had 2,801 cases, 209 hospital admissions and 15 deaths between Sept. 17 and Sept. 23.
New Variant
Information regarding new variants in Ontario:
- The most prevalent subvariant is EG.5.
- BA.2.86 also has been identified a few times in Ontario during the last month.
- Both are subvariants of Omicron.
- None of the recent new variants have been linked yet with increased severity or significant escape from immunity (whether immunity is from immunization or infection).
- The new XBB vaccine is expected to be effective against the currently circulating variants.
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Boosters
A media release from Southwestern Public Health said, “The newest formulation of the COVID-19 vaccine, targeting the XBB variant of the virus, has arrived in the Southwestern Public Health region and public health officials want it out of the storage freezers and into the arms of those most vulnerable to serious illness.”
Kearon recommends vaccines be the new XBB vaccine. “Both Moderna and Pfizer XBB vaccines have now been approved by Health Canada and they will be available in our clinics,” she said. “And that’s simply based on the fact that XBB variants are the majority of the variants that are circulating now.”
Kearon recommends people get boosters every six months.
Recommendations from health professionals
- Stay home when sick.
- Get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Practice good hand hygiene.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or sleeve.
- Wear a tight-fitting, well-constructed mask in indoor public settings, especially if at higher risk of severe infection or if recovering from recent illness.
- Optimize indoor ventilation and air quality.
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada
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