Number of local cases shoot up, but hospitalizations stable

Southwestern Public Health was reporting Monday, Jan. 3, that 1,337 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford since Christmas Eve, but the number requiring hospitalization seems to be remaining stable.

On Monday, 12 local residents were hospitalized, seven for them in intensive care units, compared to 13 hospitalizations, five in ICUs, on Dec. 24.

The 1,337 cases since Christmas Eve is equivalent to an average of just under 134 a day.

The health unit is tracking 1,287 ongoing cases of COVID-19, up from 479 Dec. 24.

Two deaths were recorded over Christmas and New Year’s, one an Oxford woman in her 40s and the other a St. Thomas woman in her 50s.

Local cases include 334 in St. Thomas and area, 68 in Central Elgin, 53 in Aylmer, 34 in Dutton Dunwich, 16 in West Elgin, seven in Malahide and four in Southwold.

The infection rate for the Southwestern area stands at 608.5 cases per 100,000 of population, up from 226.5 as of Dec. 24.

Across Ontario, 13,578 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Monday, down from 16,714 on Sunday and 18,445 on Saturday.