One COVID-linked death; virus continues to invade long-term care homes

Southwestern Public Health on Thursday, Jan. 13, announced the COVID-related death of a Woodstock woman, over 100 years old, who was a resident of Woodingford Lodge long-term care home.

Hers was the 127th death in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the 10th area virus-related death since Monday, Jan. 10.

Southwestern is now tracking outbreaks of at least two or more confirmed cases in 16 out of 34 long-term care and retirement homes across its region.

The health unit also reported 25 local residents hospitalized with COVID-19 on Thursday, with eight in intensive care units.

Across the province, 3,630 Ontarians are hospitalized with the virus, 500 of them in ICUs, compared to 3,448 and 465 respectively on Wednesday.

SWPH recorded 112 new confirmed cases of the virus on Thursday, up from 106 the previous day, and is now tracking 1,173 confirmed cases, down from 1,312 on Wednesday. The health unit is only conducting confirmatory tests on certain individuals at this point, and is discarding confirmed cases from its ongoing count after 10 days regardless of outcome.

Local confirmed ongoing cases include 307 in St. Thomas and area, 74 in Aylmer and Malahide, 52 in Central Elgin, 28 in West Elgin, 22 in Dutton Dunwich, 16 in Bayham and 11 in Southwold.