The city of St. Thomas appears to have become the area’s hot spot for the Covid-19 virus according to today’s data release from Southwestern Public Health, which covers Oxford and Elgin counties and St. Thomas. Since last Friday, there has been a significant rise active cases of the coronavirus.

Last Friday, July 17, only two cases were reported in the entire area, both in Oxford County and both in Woodstock. By the end of last weekend, 3 new cases were reported in St. Thomas. An additional case in Bayham boosted Elgin County’s total to 4 active cases, while Woodstock continued to have 2 active cases. No new cases were reported on Monday, but 2 more cases are reported in St. Thomas today, raising the city’s total to 5 active cases and raising Elgin County’s total to 6.

In a press release yesterday, Southwestern Public Health urged members of the public to behave as though everyone was a potential source of the virus. Dr. Joyce Lock, Medical Officer of Health for the region said, “As a community, we’re tired. We want to let our guard down, but we can’t.” Noting the 6 active cases range in age from teens to mid-50’s, Dr. Lock also observed that most cases often resulted from close contact with a friend or family member.

Websites to check regularly include…

Southwestern Public Health: https://www.swpublichealth.ca/content/community-update-novel-coronavirus-covid-19

Oxford County: http://www.oxfordcounty.ca/covid-19

Town of Tillsonburg: https://www.tillsonburg.ca/en/town-hall/novel-conoravirus-covid-19-information.aspx

Stay safe, stay apart, wear a mask when in public, stay informed…and wash your hands often.