ICU cases in province at new high

Southwestern Public Health Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock was called to an “urgent provincial meeting” Wednesday, March 31, and so had to postpone a weekly news briefing for local journalists.

East Elgin Secondary School, in a twitter post the same day, said students were being told to take home all electronic devices and personal; property they might have at school “just in case,” and Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said a major COVID-19 announcement will be made on Thursday, April 1.

In Dr. Lock’s written notes for the meeting (she’s promised to speak to reporters on Thursday afternoon, April 1, just before a Southwestern Public Health board meeting), she noted that a record high 421 COVID-19 patients were in the province’s intensive care units.

Southwestern has only one person in hospital due to COVID, and not in an ICU.

“When our own data shows that there is a single case in our local hospitals, it is easy to think it’s not that bad,” she wrote. “But if we step back and look at our province, it is an entirely different story.

“This is not a problem for someone else, or somewhere else. It is a problem for all of us.”

She also reported that to date, more than 20,000 residents of Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford had received at least their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

“Supply lags behind demand at this time, so it will take time to get everyone vaccinated. Please know, there will be enough vaccine for everyone who wants it. It will just take a little patience.”