Walk-ins again welcome at COVID-19 clinics

Effective immediately, Southwestern Public Health’s three COVID-19 vaccination clinics are resuming “walk-in” hours, where no appointments are needed, to prioritize specific groups, including pregnant women, anyone eligible seeking a first dose, and seniors aged 70 and older seeking a booster.

Walk-ins for these groups will be between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during regular operating hours, including when a clinic is open on a Saturday.

Clinic sites include the St. Thomas Memorial Arena, Goff Hall at Woodstock’s Reeves Community Complex and, on Feb. 2 and March 2, Tillsonburg Community Centre.

Those who prefer a scheduled appointment can book online at www.covidvaccineLM.ca or call 1-800-922-0096 ext. 9. A reminder that Southwestern Public Health requires a parent or legal guardian to provide consent for children under 12 years of age.

Positivity rate

The percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back as positive for the virus in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford increased to 17.7 percent as of Jan. 16 from 16.8 percent on Jan. 9.

SWPH also reported that 29 local residents were hospitalized with COVID-19 Wednesday, Jan. 26, the same as on Tuesday, but the number of patients in intensive care units rose to 10 from eight.

The health unit recorded 54 confirmed new cases of the virus on Wednesday, down from 65 Tuesday. The number of ongoing cases across the area being tracked by SWPH fell to 711 from 743.

Local confirmed cases include 195 in St. Thomas and area, 47 in Aylmer and Malahide, 17 each in Central Elgin and Dutton Dunwich, 15 in West Elgin, 11 in Bayham and four in Southwold.