COVID-19 ICU admissions fall as staff infections soar in London, Ont., on Monday

The number of staff at Southwestern Ontario'slargest hospital network who have contracted COVID-19 continues to rise, while critical care patients fall.

The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) reported 44 inpatients with COVID-19 on Monday, unchanged from Friday. The number of patients in ICU beds now five or fewer.

Of the total, the hospital networksaid:

• 13patients are being treated for COVID-19.
• 31 patients tested positive upon being admitted for other treatments.

The number of staff who have tested positive for the virus is up to 232, an increase of 81 from a week ago. Staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 are isolating.

There are threeongoingoutbreaks at University Hospital. For details on theunits that are impacted, visit the LHSC'soutbreak reporting page.

High-risk COVID-19 cases steady

The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported another 50COVID-19casesamongpeople in high-risk jobsor settings on Monday. The seven-day rolling average for daily high-risk cases remains steady at 56.

There have been no new COVID-19-related deaths reported since Feb. 23. The death toll for Middlesex-London in February was49.There have been 349total deaths since the pandemic began.

COVID-19 hospitalizations drop across the province

Ontario reported849 people with COVID-19 in the province's hospitals, as ICU admissions fell below 300 for the first time since Jan. 5. The number of patients who required intensive care is 279, 18 fewer than on Friday.

The Ministry of Health reported three more COVID-19-related deaths across Ontario, bringing the death toll to 12,433 since the pandemic began.