NEWS

Local news in and around Aylmer and Elgin County

Four more COVID-19 deaths reported Tuesday

January 25, 2022 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health announced on Tuesday, Jan. 25, that four persons had died during the previous 24 hours in COVID-19 related cases. They include an Elgin woman in her 80s and an Elgin man in his 90s. Their deaths were linked to outbreaks at long-term care or retirement homes. In addition, an Oxford man in…

Defrauded for $141,000 in Bitcoin scam

January 24, 2022 | 0 Comments

An Aylmer man, 60, was defrauded of $141,000 over seven months in a scam involving the online “crypto currency” Bitcoin, town Police Chief Zvonko Horvat reported on Monday, Jan. 24. Between January and July of 2021, the man set up an account through the purported “SPX Markets” online investment company. Over the course of seven…

Two COVID-19 deaths over the weekend

January 24, 2022 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health announced on Monday, Jan. 24, that two persons had died in COVID-19-related cases over the weekend, an Elgin man in his 60s and an Oxford woman in her 80s. The total number of Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford residents who have died since the pandemic began now stands at 132. SWPH also…

Woodstock woman dies with COVID-19

January 21, 2022 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health announced on Friday, Jan. 21, that a woman in her 70s, a resident of Woodingford Lodge long-term care home in Woodstock, had died with COVID-19. That brings the total number of deaths related to COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford since the pandemic began to 130. Hers was the second such…

Police college vaccination clinic now open to more

January 20, 2022 | 0 Comments

Due to relatively few appointments being made for a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Ontario Police College on Friday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., it’s now been opened up to a wider range of potential recipients. Originally, it had been focused on schoolchildren and their parents, educators, childcare workers and school…

Omicron continues to spread in long-term care, retirement homes

January 20, 2022 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health was reporting outbreaks of COVID-19 in 21 out of 34 long-term care and retirement homes in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Thursday, Jan. 20, up from 18 the previous day, a trend blamed on the highly-contagious Omicron variant of the virus. The health unit also announced that 47 local residents were…

Outbreak ends at STEGH

January 20, 2022 | 0 Comments

St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital announced Thursday, Jan. 20, that a COVID-19 outbreak on its fifth floor acute medicine had been declared over. In a statement, STEGH said that the outbreak was declared after three patients on the unit tested positive for the virus on Jan. 7. The hospital had immediately implemented additional measures to…

Public health restrictions to be eased as of Jan. 31

January 20, 2022 | 0 Comments

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on Thursday, Jan. 20, that effective Jan. 31, public health restrictions put in place in an effort to cope with the highly-contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19 would start to be eased. Among other measures, restaurants will be able to re-open to inside dining to a maximum of 50 percent of…

Update on outbreaks at Elgin County homes

January 20, 2022 | 0 Comments

Elgin County’s long-term care homes issued an update on COVID-19 outbreaks  on Wednesday, Jan. 19. Terrace Lodge in Malahide continues to have a confirmed outbreak in one of its four residential wings. All other wings are now out of suspected outbreak status. A total of 19 residents tested positive for the virus, seven of which…

Health unit: new numbers offer accurate picture of hospitalizations

January 19, 2022 | 1 Comment

Southwestern Public Health was reporting Wednesday, Jan. 19, that 48 residents of Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford were hospitalized with COVID-19, an increase from 27 the previous day. The number of patients reported to be in intensive care units doubled to eight from four. SWPH Communications Manager Megan Cornwell said the higher numbers reflected a…

Lots of openings at police college vaccination clinic Friday, Jan. 21

January 19, 2022 | 1 Comment

Southwestern Public Health is urging parents and children, teachers and other school staff and childcare workers to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccination clinic being held at the Ontario Police College on Friday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Several hundred appointments were still open there, Jaime Fletcher, who manages the health unit’s…

COVID-19 keeps spreading across long-term care, retirement homes

January 18, 2022 | 0 Comments

COVID-19 has continued to spread in long-term care and retirement homes in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford over the last week. Southwestern Public Health reported on Tuesday, Jan. 18, that outbreaks of at least two or more confirmed cases were being tracked at 18 out of 34 such homes in its area, up by five…