News
Southwestern still at Orange, but London moves to Red
Southwestern Public Health reported 12 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Tuesday, March 30. The health unit was tracking 84 ongoing cases on Tuesday, down from 92 on Monday. Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford remain in the “Orange-Restrict” provincial pandemic colour code on Tuesday, but on that same day…
Read MoreAstraZeneca vaccine not recommended for adults under 55 at this time
Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunizations has recommended that AstraZeneca not be administered as a COVID-19 vaccine to adults under 55 while potential complications involving blood clots are investigated by Health Canada. Meanwhile, Southwestern Public Health is awaiting an announcement about three pharmacies in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford that would become vaccination sites for…
Read MoreSouthwestern confirms 56 new COVID-19 cases, and one death
Southwestern Public Health reported its 69th death linked to COVID-19 on Monday, March 29, involving an Oxford woman in her 70s. The health unit recorded 56 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, bringing the total number of ongoing cases at the moment to 92, up from 76 on Friday. St. Thomas and area…
Read More70 and over eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations
Southwestern Public Health announced Monday morning, March 29, that anyone 70 and older now qualified to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Previously, only those 75 and older could get them, with some exceptions. The health unit reported that Ontario government data showing that as of Saturday, March 27, more than 75 percent of residents 80 and…
Read MoreMPP Yurek: take whatever vaccine is offered
Sherri Spanjers of Tillsonburg, left, a worker in a dental clinic, received her first dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP and Ontario Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Jeff Yurek during a Southwestern Public Health mass vaccination clinic at Memorial Arena in St. Thomas on Saturday morning, March 27. This was the…
Read MoreOxford man latest COVID-linked death
Southwestern Public Health reported on Friday, March 26, the death of an Oxford man in his 60s which was linked to COVID-19. That brings to 68 the total number of such deaths in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford. The health unit also reported 10 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, up from eight on…
Read More“Faith leaders” eligible for vaccinations
Southwestern Public Health announced Thursday, March 25, that “faith leaders” from local churches and places of worship were now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. That would apply if as part of their work they were in close contact with individuals and families through: end of life care; care of the deceased, funerals, bathing or other…
Read More“The power of vaccination”
The fact that no long-term care or retirement homes are currently experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak is “a good indication of the power of vaccination,” Dr. Joyce Lock, medical officer of health for Southwestern Public Health, said during a weekly news briefing on Wednesday, March 24. She started by reporting the health unit had confirmed seven…
Read MoreSome ups, some downs in local COVID-19 cases
Southwestern Public Health was reporting 17 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, March 23, bringing the total number of ongoing cases in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford to 78, up from 75 on Monday. St. Thomas and area rose to 13 ongoing cases Tuesday from nine on Monday, while Central Elgin decreased to nine…
Read MoreSouthwestern reports 28 new cases over weekend
Southwestern Public Health reported on Monday, March 22, that 28 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Elgin, St. Thomas and Middlesex over the weekend. The total number of ongoing infections being tracked by the health unit stands at 75, up from 66 on Friday. (Southwestern, which used to provide daily updates, has stopped doing…
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