Tillsonburg hospital COVID-19 outbreak cases rising

Southwestern Public Health was reporting 19 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Friday, May 7, up from 17 the previous day.

The total number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit rose to 122 from 117.

Meanwhile, an outbreak at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital first reported Thursday is spreading.

Friday, Southwestern announced that seven patients and four staff members had tested positive for COVID-19, up from three patients and two staff the previous day.

St. Thomas and area increased to 28 ongoing cases Friday from 27 Thursday, Aylmer and area to seven from five and Central Elgin and West Elgin to three each from two each.

Bayham remained at four, while Dutton Dunwich decreased to one from two.

In Oxford, Tillsonburg and area rose to 30 from 27 and East Zorra-Tavistock to six from five. Woodstock and area dropped to 25 from 26 and Norwich to seven from eight.

Ingersoll and area stayed at five and Blandford-Blenheim and South-West Oxford at two each.

So far this year, Southwestern has found that 546 cases of COVID-19 have involved “variants of concern” considered more contagious and/or creating more serious symptoms than the original strain.

To date, 458 have been resolved and 88 are ongoing.

The infection rate for the Southwestern region stands at 57.7 cases per 100,000 of population, up from 55.3 on Thursday.

Across Ontario, 3,166 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Friday, down from 3,429 the previous day.