The province is reporting 2,716 new COVID-19 cases this morning with 19 deaths while Southwestern Public Health is reporting 58 new cases over the weekend with 41 resolved. There was one new death, a St. Thomas man in his 70’s. That brings the death toll to 77 since the pandemic began.
There are 12 new cases in St. Thomas, five in West Elgin, three in Aylmer and one in Bayham.
Five hundred and eighty-four of the confirmed cases involve variants of concern, with 93 cases still active.
There are 138 ongoing cases in the health unit’s coverage area with 34 in Woodstock, 30 in St. Thomas and Tillsonburg, eight in Aylmer and West Elgin, seven in Norwich, six in East Zorra-Tavistock, five in Ingersoll, four in Bayham, three in SW Oxford, two in Blandford-Blenheim and one in Central Elgin.
Four residents and six staff member have tested positive at Caressant Care in Woodstock along with ten patients and five staff at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital.
Sixteen individuals are hospitalized, eight of those in ICU. Of the cases hospitalized since the pandemic began, 35.4 per cent were admitted to the ICU.
Seventy-five of the cases are individuals under the age of 50, of those 23 are under the age of 20.
The number of resolved cases is 3,352.
Through May 1 – the latest data available from the health unit – 54,861 individuals have been vaccinated by SWPH, with 52,594 of those having received their first dose.
There are 65.2 ongoing confirmed cases per 100,000 population in the SWPH region as compared to 180.1 per 100,000 in the Middlesex-London Health Unit region. The crude rate for St. Thomas is 77.1 cases per 100,000 population and Aylmer has 106.8 cases per 100,000.
The assessment centre at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital undertook 92 tests on Saturday. The West Elgin Community Health Centre did 26 on Friday.

