News Headlines
Conflict looms over church service
Aylmer Police are warning a town church (Aylmer Church of God, though police won’t identify the institution by name) that members could face charges if they gather for a service this Sunday, April 26, as they did last Sunday, April 19, even if they’re only sitting in their vehicles with windows rolled up in the…
Read MoreSt. Thomas woman, 72, dies from COVID-19
Southwestern Public Health on Wednesday, April 22, reported that a fourth person had died as a result of COVID-19 in its jurisdiction, which is Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford. The woman was 72, and had been admitted to St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital before her death. The health unit stated she had caught COVID-19 through…
Read MoreCOVID-19 update for Monday, April 20
Southwestern Public Health is currently reporting, as of Monday morning, April 20, 18 ongoing cases of confirmed COVID-19 in Elgin and St. Thomas, and 10 more in Oxford. St. Thomas has seven cases, Dutton Dunwich four, Central Elgin and West Elgin two each and Aylmer, Bayham and Malahide, one each. So far in the Southwestern…
Read MoreCOVID-19: STEGH worker diagnosed; third Elgin resident dies
Southwestern Public Health has reported a third death attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic in Elgin and St. Thomas, and also the health unit and St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital jointly announced Tuesday, April 14, that a health care worker at the hospital tested positive for the virus on Monday, April 13. The health unit and…
Read MoreElgin farmers salute hospital workers
St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital staff members, many in protective gear, waved to a passing parade of Elgin County tractors as local farmers saluted the health care workers on Wednesday night, April 8. The procession was organized by Malahide farmer Glen Debrabandere. (AE/Rob Perry)
Read MoreCOVID-19: Three more cases in Elgin-St. Thomas
Southwestern Public Health’s COVID-19 website chart took a jump by four active cases in Elgin and St. Thomas on Wednesday afternoon, April 8. The number of active cases increased to 11 from seven. Three of the new cases were residents of St. Thomas, for a new total of four, while the number in Dutton Dunwich…
Read MoreCOVID-19: Ongoing cases for Aylmer, Central Elgin
The municipalities of ongoing confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region were released, with two from Central Elgin and one from Aylmer. This information was made public Monday afternoon, April 6, when Southwestern Public Health updated its case reporting strategy. They are eliminating the list of individual cases and replacing it with summary statistics. The summary statistics…
Read MoreCOVID-19: Second death in region, jump in new cases
Wednesday, April 1, brought an abrupt increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Elgin and St. Thomas from seven to 11, including the second death from the disease, a woman in her 70s. Of the three other new cases from Elgin, one was someone in their 80s (self-isolating), and two others, an 80s…
Read MoreFirst COVID-19 death in region
The first COVID-19-related death in Elgin was announced by St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital via news release on Tuesday, March 31 morning. (press release in full below) In a telephone press conference late Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Joyce Lock, medical officer of health for Southwestern Public Health, said the woman, who died on Monday night, was…
Read MoreCOVID-19: Five cases in region, three in hospital
As of Friday, March 27, there had been 5 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region, with four of those being from Elgin. Southwestern Public Health oversees testing and confirmation of cases it’s region: Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford. The most recent two cases, both Elgin males in their 70s, are listed as being hospitalized.…
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