Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Friday morning, Feb. 11, announced he was declaring a provincial state of emergency and that emergency orders would follow to break the “siege” of Ottawa by anti-COVID mandate protesters and the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and Detroit. He said those temporary orders, with fines of up to…
Southwestern Public Health announced on Wednesday, Feb. 9, that an Elgin man in his 80s with COVID-19 had died, the 144th such fatality since the pandemic began in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford. The health unit also reported that 20 area residents were hospitalized with COVID-19, five on them in intensive care units, on Wednesday,…
Southwestern Public Health has announced that a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic will be held at the Edison Museum in Vienna on Tuesday, Feb. 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This clinic will be by appointment only. Bayham has the lowest rate of residents immunized with two doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the Southwestern Public…
Southwestern Public health announced on Monday, Feb. 7, that an Oxford man in his 80s with COVID-19 had died, bringing the total number of such fatalities so far since the pandemic begin in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford to 143. The health unit also reported that 29 area residents were hospitalized Monday with confirmed cases…
In a statement issued Friday, Feb. 2, Elgin County announced that two of its three long-term care homes, Terrace Lodge in Malahide and Bobier Villa in Dutton, were currently free of COVID-19 outbreaks that started in January. Elgin Manor remains in an outbreak, with confirmed cases of the virus in one residential wing and suspected…
A St. Thomas woman in her 90s and a woman, also in her 90s, residing at Caressant Care Bonnie Place long-term care home in St. Thomas, died in COVID-19 related cases, Southwestern Public Health reported on Friday, Feb. 4. Bonnie Place is one of 12 long-term care and retirement homes in Elgin, St. Thomas and…
A pedestrian gave his opinion of a “Freedom Convoy” of anti-vaccine mandate protesters that drove through Aylmer starting shortly before 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 3. Most of the convoy was made up of private cars and similar vehicles, with a few transport trucks and tractors thrown in. Police Chief Zvonko Horvat reported no untoward…
Southwestern Public Health announced on Wednesday morning, Feb. 2, that an Elgin woman in her 70s had died with COVID-19, the 140th such fatality in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford since the pandemic began in March of 2020. The health unit, now updating COVID-19 numbers on Monday, Wednesday and Friday instead of every weekday, reported…
Bayham continues to have the lowest percentage of residents fully vaccinated (two doses) against COVID-19, at 52.6 percent of the total population, followed by the north end of Malahide at 56.4 percent and Aylmer and the south end of Malahide at 62.8 percent, based on data from Southwestern Public Health. By comparison, 89.7 percent of…
Thames Valley District School Board announced on Tuesday, Feb. 1, that John Wise Public School in St. Thomas would be temporarily closed as of the next day to in-person learning as the result of staff shortages. Instead, pupils will switch to online learning until returning to the school on Monday, Feb. 7. Classroom teachers are…
Effective immediately, Southwestern Public Health will open its mass vaccination clinics in St. Thomas, Tillsonburg and Woodstock to anyone 50 or older seeking a booster dose, pregnant women and anyone seeking a first dose, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. any day they are open, without the need for an advance reservation. The health unit…
Southwestern Public Health announced on Monday, Jan. 31, that an Oxford man in his 60s had died in a case related to COVID-19. His was the 139th such death in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March of 2020, and the 26th in January. The health unit also reported some…