Delta variants cases climbing as expected

Southwestern Public Health on Monday, June 28, was reporting 11 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 from the weekend, or just under four a day, compared to two on Friday, June 25.

The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford dropped slightly, though, to 24 Monday from 25 Friday.

The number of confirmed cases involving the Delta variant, first identified in India, of COVID-19 jumped to 12 Monday from five Friday.

Southwestern Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock had earlier last week predicted that would happen, as the variant grew to become the dominant strain of COVID-19 across Ontario.

The number of ongoing cases in St. Thomas and area increased to eight Monday from seven Friday and in Central Elgin to three from two.

In Oxford, Woodstock and area fell to eight from 10 and East Zorra-Tavistock to two from three.

Tillsonburg and area stayed at two and Norwich at one.

Two Southwestern residents are hospitalized with COVID-19, one of them in an Intensive Care Unit.

Across Ontario, just 210 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Monday, compared to 287 Sunday and 346 Saturday.