COVID-19 cases at LHSC match record high, again

Vehicles are seen stopped outside the London Health Sciences Centre's University Hospital in London, Ont., Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. (CTV News file image)

The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is reporting it has 166 inpatients with COVID-19, hitting the same record high at the hospital for the third time this month.

Three new inpatients were added in the last 24 hours, while the number in Critical Care has dropped by one to 19. There are five or fewer patients at Children's Hospital.

Of those with COVID-19 at LHSC, 94 are being treated for COVID-19 while 72 are being treated for other issues but have also tested positive.

The number of COVID-positive staff rose slightly to 200 from 192 on Wednesday, while the total number of active outbreaks at LHSC is at nine, including both the University and Victoria campuses.

At St. Joseph's Health Care, 76 workers are positive, a slight decrease, while the number of positive patients/residents fell to 13 from 21. Outbreaks at Parkwood Institute and Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care continue.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) is reporting 220 new cases and one new COVID-19-related death in the region Thursday, a day after six deaths were reported.

The death was a man in his 80s not associated with a long-term care or retirement home who had received three vaccine doses. It brings the total number of deaths in the region to 295.

During a virtual media briefing Thursday, Acting Medical Officer of Health emphasized that despite deaths occurring among those who are vaccinated, if not for the vaccine, the death rate would be much higher.

"In the month of January, over 25 per cent of those who have died were unvaccinated. Only seven per cent of our population over age 12 has not received a vaccine. What this means is that the unvaccinated are overrepresented in the number of people who are dying."

He added that those who are getting vaccinated and boosted are doing the "absolute best thing" to reduce the risk of death.

REGIONAL COVID-19 COUNTS

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

Ontario health officials reported 5,852 new cases and 70 new deaths related to COVID-19 Thursday with 3,645 in hospital.