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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.…

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 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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

An Elgin woman in her 80s has become the 106th COVID-19 related death in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford since the pandemic began, Southwestern Public Health announced on Monday, Dec. 13. The health unit also reported that the rate of ongoing cases of COVIDd-19 in its area had reached triple digits at 106.4 per 100,000…

Santa might have been a little warm in his traditional suit as he waved to spectators on the route of the annual Straffordville Santa Claus Parade on Saturday morning, Dec. 11. The weather was sunny for the event, and the temperature a near-balmy 14C. (AE/Rob Perry)