The public health agency for Oxford and Elgin counties confirmed another 194 new cases in the region Friday, bumping the active count from 1,435 to 1,543.
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The public health agency for Oxford and Elgin counties confirmed another 194 new cases in the region Friday, bumping the active count from 1,435 to 1,543.
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Public health officials, though, continued to warn that the Omicron-driven surge in cases, which has overwhelmed testing and contact-tracing capacity, meant this case count was likely an underestimate of the actual number of active infections.
There were also 86 recoveries announced by Southwestern public health in its morning update.
Despite this continuing surge in cases, there were only 17 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the region, including three people being treated in intensive care.
The number of institutional outbreaks declared in the Oxford and Elgin counties region remained static, with 11 nursing and retirement homes in the region in some degree of outbreak. While most had only a handful of cases, the outbreak at Valleyview Nursing Home in St. Thomas had grown to 10 resident and 17 staff cases. There were also higher case counts at Woodingford Lodge in Woodstock, Chartwell Oxford Gardens in Woodstock and Secord Trails in Ingersoll.
Public health also confirmed an outbreak at Ingersoll’s Alexandra Hospital had grown to nine cases.
There have now been 8,159 confirmed cumulative cases in the region and 6,499 recoveries since the pandemic was declared in March 2020.
The region’s two largest urban communities – Woodstock and St. Thomas – had the most cases, with 489 and 435 respectively.
Roughly 20 per cent of active cases in the region were reported in patients 19 and younger. In total, almost 70 per cent of active cases were reported in residents younger than 50.
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As of Jan. 6, 85.9 per cent of area residents 12 and older had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine while 83.9 per cent had been administered two doses. For residents five and older, the local vaccination coverage rates dropped to 81.5 per cent with one dose and 76.5 per cent with two.
As the Omicron variant drives COVID case counts to all-time highs, the health unit for the Oxford and Elgin counties region urged residents to get fully vaccinated.
Southwestern public health has an upcoming pop-up clinic scheduled that welcomes walk-ins interested in a first, second or third dose of a vaccine. This clinic offers Pfizer vaccines for residents 29 and younger and Moderna for people 30 and older.
The clinic is set for Thursday, Jan. 13, from 11 am to 6 pm at the Straffordville Community Center at 56169 Heritage Line in Straffordville.