Warning of renewed COVID-19 restrictions

Recent increases in the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford has led Southwestern Public Health Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock to warn of the potential return of pandemic restrictions in the region.

During a news briefing on Thursday, Nov. 4, she reported that 21 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been recorded in the Southwestern region just that day, and the number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit had risen to 95 from 85 on Wednesday.

Eleven Southwestern residents were hospitalized, she said, including two in intensive care units, and leading up to Thursday, three deaths had been recorded in three straight days.

Over half of all ongoing cases involved those 39 and younger, and she especially urged those 20 through 29 years old, only 75 percent of whom were immunized, to get vaccinations.

Members of that age group were often working, travelling, looking after parents and grandparents and starting their own young families, she said. They wouldn’t want to end up in hospital with COVID-19, or suffering from the extended “long haul” COVID syndrome, where side-effects such as fatigue could last for months.

More in the Nov. 10 edition of The Aylmer Express.