Hospitalizations increase in Southwestern region

The number of Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford residents being hospitalized for COVID-19 increased to five on Wednesday, April 7, from three on Tuesday.

The number of those cases in intensive care units rose to two from one.

Southwestern Public Health was reporting nine new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, down from 13 on Tuesday. The number of ongoing cases in the region dropped to 112 from 120.

Ongoing cases in St. Thomas and area decreased to 24 Wednesday from 27 Tuesday, in Dutton Dunwich to two from three, in Malahide to two from three, in Bayham to one from two and in West Elgin to one from two.

Aylmer and area stayed at 11 and Southwold at one.

In Oxford, Woodstock and area increased to 39 from 34 and South-West Oxford to three from two. Ingersoll and area decreased to eight from 13.

Tillsonburg and area remained at 11, East Zorra-Tavistock at three, Zorra at three, Norwich at two and Blandford-Blenheim at one.

As of Monday, April 5, approximately 25,000 residents of the Southwestern region have received at least one if not two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

The infection rate for the Southwestern region stands at 53 cases per 100,000 of population, down from 56.7 on Tuesday.

Across Ontario, 3,215 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Wednesday, up from 3,065 on Tuesday.