The recent surge of COVID-19 cases within Elgin and Oxford counties has Southwestern Public Health mulling over the possibility of reinstating stricter public health measures.
During a media briefing on Tuesday, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock said the significant growth in cases observed throughout the region over the past month warrants additional restrictions.
"If we were still operating under the province's colour code, that we used during the reopening strategy, we would be firmly in the red zone," Lock said.
Data from the health unit shows the growing number of cases is primarily among the unvaccinated and Lock added the numerous cases have led to a rise in hospitalizations, intensive care unit stays, and deaths.
"The situation in our local hospitals is unsustainable. In partnership with our epidemiologist and senior leaders, I am putting a plan in place for further measures designed to address the escalating count in our Southwestern Public Health region," Lock announced.
While an implementation date has yet to be announced, Lock said she expects to have more details within "a week or so." In the meantime, she is urging the public to properly wear face coverings, limit social circles, and continue to abide by the current measures in place by the provincial government.
When asked about what the measures could look like, Lock said physical distancing is necessary to significantly decrease transmission and numbers.
"I think we will be looking at increasing our capacity limits across the health unit," Lock said. She added that she hopes they will be able to maintain ongoing activities such as winter sports as long as they are played as safely as possible.
Late last week, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital announced it had reached capacity due to an influx of COVID-19 patients in need of critical care.
On Tuesday, SWPH reported 24 new cases in the area for a total of 161 active cases, the highest the region has seen since early May. There are currently 50 people in hospitalized, eight of which are in the ICU, Lock reported 75 per cent of the cases have been identified in unvaccinated individuals.