Beds at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance are filling up fast.

Hospital officials say the ICU is at 100% capacity, and medical, surgical, and critical care beds are 99% filled.

There are 16 local residents in hospital being treated for COVID-19, three of whom are fully vaccinated, 13 are not.

Five COVID-positive patients are currently in the ICU, with one on a ventilator.

Eight hospital staff are off work because of COVID or COVID exposure.

Meantime the number of active cases has inched down to 115 today with 19 new cases reported by public health and 20 recoveries.

There are still two active outbreaks, one in the rehab unit at the Health Alliance, and one connected to Praise Fellowship Church in Chatham.

More local schools are dealing with student cases of COVID-19.

Dresden Area Central School notified families yesterday that contact tracing was underway following a confirmed case within the school community.

That makes seven Chatham-Kent schools within the Lambton Kent District School board dealing with at least one confirmed case.

At the St Clair Catholic Board, two cases have been confirmed within the school community at Monsignor Uyen, however officials say the individuals weren’t at school during their infectious period so there’s no risk to other students or staff.

The only other English Catholic school in the municipality with a confirmed case is St Anne in Blenheim with one class dismissed.