Local case counts keep rising

Southwestern Public Health announced on Friday, Jan. 7, that even with restrictions on who is now eligible for testing, 194 new cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford, up from 137 the previous day.

The health unit is tracking 1,543 ongoing confirmed cases, up from 1,435 Thursday.

Southwestern was reporting 17 area residents hospitalized with the virus on Friday, with three in intensive care units, compared to 12 hospitalizations with three in ICUs Thursday.

Local cases include 435 in St. Thomas and area, 74 in Central Elgin, 67 in Aylmer and Malahide, 31 in Dutton Dunwich, 25 in West Elgin, 15 in Bayham, 11 in Malahide and eight in Southwold.

Across the province, 2,472 Ontarians are hospitalized with COVID-19 with 338 in intensive care, up from 2,279 hospsitalizations with 319 in ICUs Thursday.