News
No confirmed cases in Aylmer
Southwestern Public Health on Friday, Feb. 12, was reporting no new or confirmed ongoing cases of COVID-19 in Aylmer and area, down from one on Thursday. Just two new cases were confirmed across Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Friday, down from 18 the previous day. The health unit is currently tracking 110 ongoing cases…
Read MoreMarch break postponed until April
The one-week “March break” for students in Ontario elementary and secondary schools won’t be in March this year. Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced on Thursday, Feb. 11, that March break was being postponed until the week of April 12. “At this time it is critical that we continue to prioritize the health of staff,…
Read MoreSt. Thomas and Elgin down in cases, Oxford up
The number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases being reported by Southwestern Public Health on Thursday, Feb. 11, rose to 18, up from seven on Wednesday. The health unit is now tracking 120 ongoing cases in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford, up from 116 Wednesday. St. Thomas and area dropped to 12 cases Thursday, down from…
Read MoreCentral Elgin abandons Port Stanley heritage conservation district
Central Elgin councillors, in a surprise vote at the end of a three-and-a-half hour public hearing Wednesday night, Feb. 10, voted 4-3 to abandon further consideration of a heritage conservation district in Port Stanley. Deputy Mayor Tom Marks proposed the same motion he had at a regular council session on Monday night, but that was…
Read MoreVaccinations now urged even for those who have survived COVID-19
Southwestern Public Health is now recommending that even those who’ve had COVID-19, who have a “natural level of immunity,” still get vaccinated against the virus. Dr. Joyce Lock, medical officer of health, in a weekly news conference on Wednesday, Feb. 10, said new research showed that the vaccine could boost the immunity level of those…
Read MoreCOVID continues gradual downward slide
Southwestern Public Health reported on Wednesday, Feb. 10, that seven new cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in the Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford region, up from two on Tuesday. The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit continued a gradual downward slide, decreasing to 116 Wednesday from 117 Tuesday. St. Thomas…
Read MoreMaple Manor outbreak over, two deaths elsewhere in Oxford
Southwestern Public Health was reporting almost entirely good news on the COVID-19 front on Tuesday, Feb. 9, with the sad exception of two more deaths linked to the virus, both in Oxford. One was a man in his 80s and the other a woman in her 70s. She was a resident at Caressant Care Retirement…
Read MoreLockdown to end locally on Tuesday, Feb. 16
The Southwestern Public Health area and most other regions will come out of the current provincial COVID-19 “lockdown” on Tuesday, Feb. 16, Premier Doug Ford announced on Monday, Feb. 8. A few regions in Eastern Ontario will open sooner, and Toronto, York and Peel will have to wait until Monday, Feb. 22. “Today we’re seeing…
Read MoreOxford man’s death linked to COVID-19
Southwestern Public Health recorded the 63rd fatality connected to COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Monday, Feb. 8, involving an Oxford man in his 50s. Only six new cases of the virus were confirmed in the region on Monday, down from 12 on Sunday. Currently, the health unit is tracking 134 ongoing cases,…
Read MoreCase numbers inch upward
Southwestern Public Health reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Sunday, Feb. 7, down from 14 on Saturday. The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit increased to 135 from 126. St. Thomas and area rose to 22 cases on Sunday from 19 Saturday.…
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