Two deaths linked to COVID-19-updated

Southwestern Public Health was reporting two fatalities connected to COVID-19, one involving at resident at Aylmer Retirement Residence, on Saturday, Feb. 20.

That brought the number of deaths in the Southwestern region linked to COVID-19 to 67.

One of the fatalities was an Elgin woman in her 90s who resided at Aylmer Retirement Residence, and the other an Oxford man in his 70s who resided at Caressant Care Retirement home in Woodstock.

Only two new cases of the virus were confirmed in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Saturday, up from one on Friday.

Currently, the health unit is tracking 42 ongoing cases, down from 50.

The number of cases in St. Thomas and area decreased to nine Saturday from 10 Friday and Aylmer and area to one from two. Dutton Dunwich, Malahide and West Elgin remained at one case each.

In Oxford, Woodstock and area dropped to 17 from 22 and Tillsonburg and area to three from five. East Zorra-Tavistock rose to three from two, while Ingersoll and area remained at four cases and Zorra at two.

The infection rate across the Southwestern region stands at 19.9 cases per 100,000 of population, down from 23.6 on Friday.

In Ontario, 1,228 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Saturday, up from 1,150 on Friday.