The province is reporting 1,616 new COVID-19 cases this morning with 17 deaths while Southwestern Public Health is reporting just seven new cases with 25 resolved. There were two new cases in St. Thomas.
There was one new death bringing the total to 79 since the pandemic began.
Six hundred and eighty of the confirmed cases involve variants of concern, with 80 cases still active.
There are 105 ongoing cases in the health unit’s coverage area with 35 in Woodstock, 16 in Tillsonburg, 15 in St. Thomas, seven in Ingersoll, six in Zorra, five in Central Elgin, four in Aylmer and Norwich, three in Bayham, Blandford-Blenheim and East Zorra-Tavistock, two in West Elgin and SW Oxford.
Four residents and six staff member have tested positive at Caressant Care in Woodstock along with 15 patients and five staff at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital.
Five individuals are hospitalized, four of those in ICU. Of the cases hospitalized since the pandemic began, 34.8 per cent were admitted to the ICU.
Sixty-one of the cases are individuals under the age of 50, of those 16 are under the age of 20.
The number of resolved cases is 3,491.
Through May 8 – the latest data available from the health unit – 67,013 individuals have been vaccinated by SWPH, with 64,590 of those having received their first dose.
There are 49.6 ongoing confirmed cases per 100,000 population in the SWPH region as compared to 132.4 per 100,000 in the Middlesex-London Health Unit region. The crude rate for St. Thomas is 38.6 cases per 100,000 population and Aylmer has 53.4 cases per 100,000.
The assessment centre at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital undertook 57 tests on Sunday. The West Elgin Community Health Centre did 21 on Friday.

