12 new COVID-19 cases in Middlesex-London Tuesday, online vaccine bookings full
Here's what you need to know about coronavirus in our region
Recent developments:
- COVID-19 vaccination appointments filled up withing two hours for local seniors
- There were 966 new COVID-19 cases across the province and 11 additional deaths
- There are seven active cases in four schools in Middlesex-London
What's the latest for London and area?
The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) is reporting 12 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday and no new deaths. The seven-day average case count is back down to 10.
The health unit posted 10 recoveries. There are now 98 known active cases in the London area.
There have been no new COVID-related deaths reported by the MLHU since Feb. 13. There have been 183 deaths since the pandemic began, including an addition death added Tuesday that was not entered into the health unit's database in January.
Medicial officer of health apologizes for those who couldn't book a vaccine
An online portal and phone lines were overwhelmed when the region's COVID-19 vaccination booking system went live Tuesday morning.
More than 5,000 available spots for seniors over 80 years of age were scooped up within two hours. There were more than 200,000 phone calls, which resulted in some phone system outages. The online portal was visited nearly 30,000 times, with no significant issues.
"The demand for vaccination appointments this morning has been tremendous. In less than two hours more than 5,000 people were able to pick a time when they could get a first dose," said Dr. Chris Mackie, Medical Officer of Health with the MLHU. "I apologize to everyone who called in and was not able to get through."
Vaccination appointments are full from March 6 to 16. The health unit says booking will reopen Wednesday morning to book a shot for March 17.
To book an appointment, call 226-289-3560 or visit covidvaccinelm.ca.
What is the COVID-19 situation at local schools?
There are currently no active outbreaks at schools in Middlesex-London, however, there are seven active cases, including:
- Northbrae Public School, 1 case
- Prince Charles Public School, 1 case
- Sir Arthur Carty Catholic School, 4 cases
- St. John French Immersion School, 1 case
London Health Sciences Centre is reporting fewer than five inpatients with COVID-19 and fewer than five in critical care. There are fewer than five staff who have currently tested positive for the virus.
COVID-19 in the region and beyond
Southwestern Public Health reported three new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday. There are now 82 ongoing cases in the Elgin-Oxford region, including 54 in the town of Aylmer. There are 13 active cases in Woodstock and three in St. Thomas.
There were five new cases reported by Huron Perth Public Health. There are currently 22 ongoing cases in the region.
Meanwhile, Ontario reported another 966 cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, along with 11 additional deaths.
Nearly 7,000 people with COVID-19 have now died in Ontario. As of yesterday evening, the official death toll stood at 6,997.