News
Police college vaccination clinic now open to more
Due to relatively few appointments being made for a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Ontario Police College on Friday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., it’s now been opened up to a wider range of potential recipients. Originally, it had been focused on schoolchildren and their parents, educators, childcare workers and school…
Read MoreOmicron continues to spread in long-term care, retirement homes
Southwestern Public Health was reporting outbreaks of COVID-19 in 21 out of 34 long-term care and retirement homes in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Thursday, Jan. 20, up from 18 the previous day, a trend blamed on the highly-contagious Omicron variant of the virus. The health unit also announced that 47 local residents were…
Read MoreOutbreak ends at STEGH
St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital announced Thursday, Jan. 20, that a COVID-19 outbreak on its fifth floor acute medicine had been declared over. In a statement, STEGH said that the outbreak was declared after three patients on the unit tested positive for the virus on Jan. 7. The hospital had immediately implemented additional measures to…
Read MorePublic health restrictions to be eased as of Jan. 31
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on Thursday, Jan. 20, that effective Jan. 31, public health restrictions put in place in an effort to cope with the highly-contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19 would start to be eased. Among other measures, restaurants will be able to re-open to inside dining to a maximum of 50 percent of…
Read MoreUpdate on outbreaks at Elgin County homes
Elgin County’s long-term care homes issued an update on COVID-19 outbreaks on Wednesday, Jan. 19. Terrace Lodge in Malahide continues to have a confirmed outbreak in one of its four residential wings. All other wings are now out of suspected outbreak status. A total of 19 residents tested positive for the virus, seven of which…
Read MoreHealth unit: new numbers offer accurate picture of hospitalizations
Southwestern Public Health was reporting Wednesday, Jan. 19, that 48 residents of Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford were hospitalized with COVID-19, an increase from 27 the previous day. The number of patients reported to be in intensive care units doubled to eight from four. SWPH Communications Manager Megan Cornwell said the higher numbers reflected a…
Read MoreLots of openings at police college vaccination clinic Friday, Jan. 21
Southwestern Public Health is urging parents and children, teachers and other school staff and childcare workers to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccination clinic being held at the Ontario Police College on Friday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Several hundred appointments were still open there, Jaime Fletcher, who manages the health unit’s…
Read MoreCOVID-19 keeps spreading across long-term care, retirement homes
COVID-19 has continued to spread in long-term care and retirement homes in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford over the last week. Southwestern Public Health reported on Tuesday, Jan. 18, that outbreaks of at least two or more confirmed cases were being tracked at 18 out of 34 such homes in its area, up by five…
Read MoreCOVID-19 update for Monday, Jan. 17
Southwestern Public Health reported on Monday, Jan. 17, that 26 Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford residents were hospitalized with COVID-related cases, down by one from Friday, Jan. 14. Four area residents were in intensive care units Monday, down from seven Friday. And, for the first time in a week, the health unit announced no new…
Read MoreUpdate on Terrace Lodge outbreak
Elgin County on Friday, Jan. 14, reported that Terrace Lodge long-term care home in Malahide remained in a COVID-19 outbreak with a total of 11 residents who have tested positive for the virus, four of which have since recovered, and three staff members, two of which have now recovered. One resident at Terrace Lodge died…
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