News

COVID-19 Vaccine Update # 1

On December 8, Health Canada approved the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in Canada. This is the first COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in the country. The vaccine works with the individual’s immune system to help keep them from getting COVID-19, to lower how much of the virus can spread in the population, and to help build herd immunity.

Ontario received approximately 90,000 doses of the vaccine in its first shipment from the federal government. The doses were shipped to 17 hospital sites...

SWPH Advises Households to Self-Isolate After COVID-19 Testing

Southwestern Public Health’s Medical Officer of Health has new advice for household members of symptomatic people awaiting COVID-19 test results: stay home.

“COVID-19 spreads when people have close contact with each other. Our case history has many examples of multi-member households infected with the virus. For this reason, we’re asking everyone in the household to stay home until COVID is ruled out for the symptomatic individual,” says Dr. Joyce Lock, Medical Officer of Health at Southwestern Public...

An Open Letter to the Community from Southwestern Public Health

Southwestern Public Health’s vision is “healthy people in vibrant communities.”

A vibrant community is one where people are mentally and physically healthy, the land is fertile, and businesses succeed. It is a community where people come together to support one another, learn from one another, and celebrate with one another. We imagine this vision of community is one on which we all agree.

Over the past nine months we have seen community division about the best way to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic....

Media Release: SWPH Reports One of Largest Single Day Case Increases

Today Southwestern Public Health reported 19 cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of active confirmed cases in the region to 72. It also reported the region’s eighth death.

“These numbers are predictive of a move to the Red Tier of Ontario’s Safe and Open Strategy which will have a significant impact on our local businesses. These numbers – some of the highest of the year for us – are also predictive of an increase in serious illness, hospitalizations, ICU stays, and death,” warns Dr. Joyce...

SWPH Healthy Growth and Development program introduces ‘Know & Grow’

Southwestern Public Health is excited to introduce ‘Know & Grow’ as a sub-brand for its pregnancy and baby support

Southwestern Public Health wants to make it easier for families to find services for pregnancy and baby support.

“We had different program names in Elgin County and in Oxford County. We hoped it would be much easier for families to find us if they only had to remember one name, so ‘Know and Grow’ was born,” says Felix Harmos, Program Manager of Healthy Growth and Development for...

Media Release: SWPH Region Moving in to Orange-Restrict Tier of COVID-19 Framework

 

The Province of Ontario has again moved Southwestern Public Health into a new tier of the Keeping Ontario Safe and Open Framework for COVID-19.

Based on its current case count and incidence rate of 28.4 cases per 100,000 population, the entire Southwestern Public Health region will be moved to the Orange-Restrict tier at 12:01am on Monday November 23, 2020. This decision was based on an increase of cases, more evidence of community transmission, more tests coming back as positive, and an increase...