NEWS

Local news in and around Aylmer and Elgin County

Southwestern records 128 new COVID cases over weekend

December 20, 2021 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health on Monday, Dec. 20, was reporting 128 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 from the weekend in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford, or an average of just under 43 per day. The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit rose to 313 Monday from 234 on Friday. The rate of…

One person escapes Nova Scotia Line fire

December 20, 2021 | 0 Comments

Elgin Ontario Provincial Police Constable Norm Kelso reported Monday morning, Dec. 20, that one person had escaped a fire that fully-engulfed a home on Nova Scotia Line between Springwater and Sawmill roads, but a search was being made for others who might have been home at the time. OPP and Malahide Fire responded to the…

Port Burwell GO-VAXX visit cancelled

December 20, 2021 | 0 Comments

A planned walk-in clinic aboard the GO-VAXX COVID-19 immunization bus at Port Burwell’s fire station has been cancelled, Southwestern Public Health announced on Monday morning, Dec. 20. The clinic was supposed to be held today (Monday). The health unit suggested anyone who planned to visit the bus should instead visit www.covidvaccineLM.ca to book an appointment…

Ford: new COVID-19 restrictions

December 17, 2021 | 1 Comment

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, in response to the rapid spread of new confirmed COVID-19 cases through the province and the discovery of the highly-contagious Omicron variant, announced new public health restrictions to try to curb additional cases on Friday, Dec. 17. Among them, the government ordered that a maximum of 10 persons would be allowed…

Ontario records over 3,000 new cases in one day

December 17, 2021 | 1 Comment

A total of 3,124 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Ontario on Friday, Dec. 17, the highest that number has been since May. The number of new cases the previous day had been 2,421. Southwestern Public Health on Friday reported 36 new confirmed cases in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford, down from 46 Thursday.…

Health unit focusing on vaccinations

December 16, 2021 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health will focus all its efforts on delivering COVID-19 vaccinations, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock said in a news briefing on Thursday, Dec. 16. That comes after Premier Doug Ford announced Wednesday, Dec. 15, that in response to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the virus, anyone 18 and…

Southwestern records 46 confirmed new cases

December 16, 2021 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health reported Thursday, Dec. 16, that 46 new cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed overnight in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford, up from 26 new cases the previous day. However, the number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit dropped, to 208 from 229. (Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock…

Keep current vaccine appointments-SWPH

December 15, 2021 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health, in response to an announcement by Ontario Premier Doug Ford Wednesday, Dec. 15, that the eligibility for a third round of COVID-19 vaccination shots would widen radically as of Monday, Dec. 20, is appealing to anyone 50 or older to keep existing appointments for immunizations if they’ve already made them. As of…

Wheel lug nut loosening warning

December 15, 2021 | 0 Comments

St. Thomas Police are warning residents to beware of a trend where the lug nuts on a vehicle wheel are loosened or removed, creating a potentially dangerous situation. Participants were reportedly filming their “pranks” and posting them to a social media site. Most recently, police reported that a front passenger side wheel flew off a…

Schoolchildren told to take everything home

December 15, 2021 | 0 Comments

Thames Valley District School Board has advised parents that children in public schools would be asked to take home all personal belongings on Friday, Dec. 17, as Christmas vacation started. “This is a precautionary measure to ensure that families are equipped to deal with any potential announcements by the Ministry of Education and/or provincial Chief…

Two more COVID-19 deaths

December 15, 2021 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health on Wednesday, Dec. 15, announced the COVID-19 related deaths of a St. Thomas man in his 90s and an Oxford man in his 30s. That brings the total number of fatalities in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford since the pandemic began to 108. So far this month, 12 deaths have been reported,…

SWPH reports 23 new cases

December 14, 2021 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health was reporting 23 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Tuesday, Dec. 14, down slightly from an average of just under 25 a day over the weekend. The total number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit stood at 235 Tuesday. The rate of ongoing…