89th death related to COVID-19

For the second day in a row, Southwestern Public Health on Friday, Oct. 15, announced a death related to COVID-19, this time involving an Oxford woman in her 70s.

Her death brings to 89 the number of fatalities associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford.

The death of a St. Thomas man in his 60s had been reported on Thursday, Oct. 14.

Southwestern also announced Friday that 24 new cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in its region, up from 12 on Thursday.

The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit rose to 92 Friday from 80 Thursday.

As of Friday, three Southwestern-area residents were hospitalized with COVID-19.

The number of confirming ongoing cases in Aylmer and area rose to 14 Friday from 13 Thursday, in Bayham to 14 from nine, in St. Thomas and area to 11 from nine and in West Elgin to four from two.

Dutton Dunwich and Malahide stayed at two cases each.

In Oxford, Tillsonburg and area increased to 12 from 11 and Woodstock and area to 11 from nine. Norwich remained at 10, Ingersoll and area and South-West Oxford at four each, East Zorra-Tavistock at three and Zorra at one.

The infection rate for the Southwestern region stands at 43.5 confirmed cases per 100,000 of population, up from 37.8 on Thursday.

Across Ontario, 496 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Friday, up from 417 on Thursday.