A woman in her late 80s has become the first person in the St. Thomas area to die due to COVID-19.
The St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital confirmed its first coronavirus-related death on Tuesday morning.
"We express our deepest sympathies to the patient’s family at this difficult time," a statement from the hospital said.
The elderly woman had no travel history and was cared for using "appropriate infection control protocols and practices," according to the hospital.
The hospital has taken a number of protective measures to help cope with the global pandemic. They include postponing elective surgeries, restricting visitors, actively screening everyone who enters the facility, and erecting a tented area to triage patients outside of the emergency department.
Southwestern Public Health, which serves Oxford County, Elgin County, Woodstock, and St. Thomas, confirmed another new case of COVID-19 on Tuesday. An Oxford County man in his 60s who had recently travelled has tested positive for the virus. He remains in self-isolation at home.
There has now been a total of 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Oxford and Elgin region since the outbreak began.
In nearby London Middlesex, there has been one death linked to the virus and 37 confirmed cases.
