New cases of COVID-19 in London, Ont. region both recent travellers

MLHU on two new COVID-19 cases in London, Ont. Dr. Alex Summers with the Middlesex-London Health Unit discusses the latest cases in the region and the plan going forward.

London, Ont. — Two of the nine new cases of COVID-19 announced in Ontario on Tuesday are in London-Middlesex.

That brings the total in London and Middlesex County to four. Ontario's total now stands at 186.

The two new cases are both women, one in her 20s and another in her 40s, both of whom had travelled recently.

The woman in her 20s, a health care worker at the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), had recently returned from Las Vegas.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) says the woman was working at the hospital while showing symptoms of COVID-19.

The second woman recently returned from St. Maarten.

An investigation into both cases continues and close contacts, including patients and staff at LHSC are being notified if they were in contact with the worker.

Both women and their close contacts are being told to self-isolate for 14 days.

“We are working closely with LHSC and are following up with the patients who were seen at hospital while this staff member was working and also with the colleagues she was working with,” Dr. Alex Summers, associate medical officer of health with the MLHU, said in a statement.

On Tuesday, London's courthouse issued a memo to lawyers that it would be closing after a staff member, the woman recently returned from St. Maarten, tested positive.

On Saturday, it was revealed that the region's second case was a woman in her 50s who is a health care provider at the Strathroy Medical Clinic in Strathroy, Ont.

She had no history of travel to an area of significant COVID-19 activity.

Any patient who was in contact with her has been notified and the woman is in self-isolation.

London's first case was a Western University student who immediately went into self-isolation after returning from China in January. She has fully recovered.

To date there have also been cases in Huron-Perth, Grey-Bruce and Waterloo Region.

The health unit is recommending testing for those with a fever, or cough or shortness of breath, who in the 14 days prior to their illness; travelled outside of Canada, had close contact with a confirmed or probable case, or had close contact with a person with acute respiratory illness who had travelled.