News
Down to 52 ongoing cases
Southwestern Public Health on Monday, May 31, reported 26 new cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford over the weekend, or an average of just under nine a day. The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit dropped to 52 Monday from 62 Friday. Ongoing cases in…
Read MoreAdditional fines imposed for second contempt finding
Justice Bruce Thomas in St. Thomas Superior Court of Justice Monday morning, May 31, fined the Church of God (Restoration) Aylmer, Pastor Henry Hildebrandt, and Assistant Pastor Peter Wall a combined $66,000 for continued breach of a court order to follow gathering limits under the Reopening Ontario Act. The hearing was in response to the…
Read MoreSTEGH offering second shots for healthcare workers
High-risk healthcare workers at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital will be able to get their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine right at STEGH. The hospital on Monday, May 31, announced a partnership with Southwestern Public Health for a four-day clinic to get STEGH workers their booster vaccinations. The on-site clinic would be the first of…
Read MoreNew administrator for Malahide
Malahide Township announced Monday morning, May 31, that Adam Betteridge, the municipality’s director of development services for the last year-and-a-half, will become chief administrative officer as of June 28. He is replacing Michelle Casavecchia-Somers, who is retiring. Mr. Betteridge, a graduate of University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Honours, Planning) degree, is…
Read MoreSouthwestern announces 100,000 vaccinated
Southwestern Public Health on Monday morning, May 31, announced that to date, 100,000 residents of Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The health unit called that “a significant milestone” representing nearly 48 percent of the region’s total population of 211,000. Dr. Joyce Lock, Southwestern medical officer of…
Read MoreOnly four new cases Friday, May 28
Southwestern Public Health was reporting just four new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Friday, May 28, down from 10 on Thursday. The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit continues a downward slide, standing at 62 on Friday compared to 74 the previous day. Ongoing cases…
Read MoreSecond vaccine doses accelerated
Premier Doug Ford announced Friday morning, May 28, that Ontarians would be able to get their second, booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine sooner than anticipated. Over 65 percent of the adult population of the province had already received their first dose of vaccine, a total of 8.5-million immunizations. Now that Ontario was getting consistent deliveries…
Read MoreOngoing cases continue to decline
Southwestern Public Health reported 10 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Thursday, May 27, up from five the previous day. However, the number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit continued to slide, to 74 Thursday from 81 Wednesday. Ongoing cases in St. Thomas and area declined…
Read MoreDeer tick positive for Lyme disease in Port Burwell
Southwestern Public Health announced Wednesday, May 26, that a deer tick collected from Port Burwell had tested positive for the agent that causes Lyme disease in humans. While this was the first such positive test in Elgin County this year, the health unit stated, Port Burwell has been considered a “risk area” for Lyme disease…
Read MoreThree dead so far in Tillsonburg hospital outbreak
The COVID-19 outbreak is coming to an end at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital, but three patients have died since it was first declared on May 5, President Sandy Jansen announced on Wednesday, May 26. She was participating in a weekly news conference conducted by Southwestern Public Health Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock. Ms.…
Read More