LONDON, ONT. -- The man in his 30s who was the first novel coronavirus case in the Elgin and Oxford counties is now in the Intensive Care Unit at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH).

The case was initially announced Monday by Southwestern Public Health in a man who reportedly had close contact with someone outside the region who had the virus.

STEGH officials say that Elgin County man, who had been in self-isolation, contacted EMS Monday night, fully disclosing his situation, and was transferred by ambulance to the Intensive Care Unit.

A statement from the hospital says, all necessary precautions were taken for the safety of patients, staff and physicians.

Robert Biron, president and CEO of STEGH, added, “Our health care team was ready for the presentation of COVID-19, and demonstrated the effectiveness of our planning, precautions and protocols.”

Physical distancing working: Mackie

Dr. Chris Mackie, CEO of the Middlesex-London Heath Unit, took to Twitter on Tuesday to say measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19 appear to be working.

He went on to say that if the trend holds, "then our peak will occur in 2-3 weeks, and the bulk of the pandemic wave will be passed within 6 weeks."

Though he added it's a big "If."