Now 10 cases in Aylmer and area

The number of ongoing confirmed COVID-19 cases in Aylmer and area increased to 10 Friday, Oct. 1, from six on Wednesday, Sept. 29, Southwestern Public Health reported on Friday, Oct. 1.

(The health unit took Thursday off for National Truth and Reconciliation Day.)

Across the Southwestern region of Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford, 21 new cases over two days were confirmed Friday, compared to nine new cases Wednesday.

The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit rose to 43 Friday from 32 Wednesday.

Five residents of the Southwestern region are hospitalized with COVID-19, two of them in intensive care units.

In addition to Aylmer and area, Bayham cases increased to six from two and Central Elgin to two from one. St. Thomas and area dropped to one case from two, and Dutton Dunwich stayed at two.

In Oxford, Tillsonburg and area increased to three from one and Blandford Blenheim to three from two while three new cases were confirmed in Zorra and one in South-West Oxford. East Zorra-Tavistock stayed at two cases.

The infection rate for the Southwestern region stands at 20.3 cases per 100,000 of population, up from 15.1 on Wednesday.

Across Ontario, 1,315 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed over two days or an average of 517.5 a day, up from 495 on Wednesday.