Capacity restrictions possible for Southwestern Public Health region

Aylmer, Ont. -

"Get your vaccine, and stop spreading COVID!"

Those are the words of Aylmer BIA Chair Kevin Cross, fearing potential lockdowns by Southwestern Public Health (SWPH).

A combination of rising COVID-19 cases and low vaccination rates in the Aylmer area, as well as limited hospital capacity in St. Thomas has SWPH evaluating all options.

"Numbers have been rolling in every day in the double digits, so not kind of the trend that we would like to see," says Dr. Joyce Lock, medical officer of health for SWPH.

The N5H postal code, which includes the town of Aylmer, has the lowest vaccine uptake rate in the province.

"It's something that we're not proud of in Aylmer and Malahide (Township) and right from the get-go there has always been resistance to the vaccine," says Malahide Township Mayor Dave Mennill.

The town of 7,500 people has been in the national spotlight since the beginning of the pandemic.

Aylmer has low vaccination rates and high COVID-19 case counts (27 ongoing). With a crude rate of 360 cases per 100,000 population -- SWPH has the second highest COVID-19 rates in Ontario.

Eighty-four per cent of people in SWPH have two doses, but it is the 16 per cent that are driving the case count.

Of the total positive COVID-19 cases in SWPH, approximately 78 per cent of them are unvaccinated.

Public Health Sudbury has recently rolled back to Step 3 restrictions after daily case counts surpassed 100.

Southwestern Public Health Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock speaks in St. Thomas, Ont. on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. (Brent Lale / CTV News)

SWPH could potentially do the same if the spread isn't curbed.

"I think what's most important to all of us is to be sure that there is a hospital bed there for us when we need it, for whatever cause," says Lock.

"St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital is running at a capacity rate of 130 per cent or more at the moment. They have about 12 patients with COVID in the hospital. So I think there is an onus on us to perhaps take more stringent measures and we are re-evaluating capacity limits. So we're going to be looking very carefully at the data to determine whether that would help prevent the spread and free up some more space within our health care institutions."

Potential restrictions are concerning for Cross as both an Aylmer, Ont. resident and business owner.

"It's a fear of lockdown, especially for us going into the Christmas season, because it's the biggest time where you know we can hopefully recover some of the losses from the lockdowns in the past," says Cross, who owns Durkee's on Talbot Street.

The Town Hall in Aylmer, Ont. is seen Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. (Brent Lale / CTV News)

Mennill says recent vaccination requirements for work or going out has made a bit of a difference and some are starting to comply by getting the vaccine.

He feels it's a slow process to convince people in his postal code to get the shot.

"My hope is by Christmas time we'll be back up to where the rest of the provinces is in that over 90 per cent (vaccine rate)," says Mennill.

"There is so many kinds of religious groups and people that aren't vaccinated, which is so unfortunate because they're not looking at the science that says that most of these people that are in the hospital right now are unvaccinated. That should be proof that the vaccine does work."