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The fact that no long-term care or retirement homes are currently experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak is “a good indication of the power of vaccination,” Dr. Joyce Lock, medical officer of health for Southwestern Public Health, said during a weekly news briefing on Wednesday, March 24. She started by reporting the health unit had confirmed seven…

Southwestern Public Health reported on Monday, March 22, that 28 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Elgin, St. Thomas and Middlesex over the weekend. The total number of ongoing infections being tracked by the health unit stands at 75, up from 66 on Friday. (Southwestern, which used to provide daily updates, has stopped doing…

Southwestern Public Health has so far identified 26 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford involving a variant of the virus. Dr. Joyce Lock told a news briefing Wednesday, March 17, that all positive samples for COVID-19 were now receiving an additional laboratory test to identify the presence of one of two…

Southwestern Public Health was reporting 14 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Tuesday, March 16, up from nine on Monday. The health unit is tracking 72 ongoing cases across the region, up from 61 Monday. Aylmer and area remained at 18 cases, while St. Thomas rose to five on…

Southwestern Public Health is reporting 16 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Friday, March 12, up from six on Thursday. The health unit is now tracking 49 ongoing cases, up from 42 Thursday. Aylmer and area jumped to 19 ongoing cases Friday from 13 the previous day, while…

Southwestern Public Health was reporting just one new confirmed case of COVID-19 on Tuesday, March 9, down from eight on Monday. The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford also dropped, to 44 from 60. Aylmer and area decreased to 17 cases Tuesday from 29 Monday,…

Southwestern Public Health was reporting five new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Saturday, March 6, down from seven on Friday. The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit also fell, to 75 from 82. Aylmer and area, including the major outbreak at Ontario Police College, decreased…

Southwestern Public Health announced on Thursday, March 4, that two residents of the Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford region had fallen ill with a COVID-19 “variant of concern,” but have already recovered. The health unit believed the virus was caught by the pair, who reside together, during travel outside of Canada. Megan Cornwell, on behalf…

Southwestern Public Health announced late Friday afternoon, Feb. 26, that as of Monday, March 1, Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford would move to the “Orange-Restrict” zone from the current “Red-Control.” That will result in the relaxation of some COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock, in a statement, said “Following a very…

Since Feb. 22, 18 positive casers of COVID-19 have been confirmed at Ontario Police College, Brent Ross, spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General, reported. All were in self-isolation, and the college had suspended classes for Friday, March 26, he stated, so testing could be conducted of all students and staff. “Throughout the…