Nasal swabs in test tubes. File photo courtesy of  © Can Stock Photo / ayo88.Nasal swabs in test tubes. File photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / ayo88.
Chatham

9th COVID-19 death reported in Chatham-Kent

The death count from COVID-19 in Chatham-Kent has increased by one.

The local public health unit reported on Wednesday that another person has died of the virus to bring the total number of local COVID-19 deaths in Chatham-Kent to nine.

The number of people who had the virus but aren't listed as dying from COVID-19 is now up to five, a jump of two from last week.

Jeff Moco of CK Public Health Communications said the most recent COVID-19 death was a Chatham-Kent man in his 50s who had been hospitalized and died at Erie Shores hospital in Leamington.

One of the non-COVID-19 deaths was a Fairfield Park Nursing Home resident in Wallaceburg but details about the other death are still being reviewed and haven't been confirmed.

Active cases are down to 38 after public health officials reported three new cases and 15 resolved cases.

The number of local people in the Chatham hospital with the virus has dropped by two to five. There are still two institutional outbreaks at Fairfield Park and the medicine unit at the Chatham hospital.

There are two new cases at Fairfield Park. The outbreak at the home reached a total of 100 cases on Wednesday. The total number of cases at the Chatham hospital remains at 23.

Fairfield Park Administrator Tracey Maxim told the media on Tuesday there were three active cases among its residents and seven active cases among staff. The outbreak was declared January 10, 2021 and on Saturday, the first doses of the Moderna vaccine were given to Fairfield residents who have tested negative for COVID-19. CK Public Health reports 850 doses of the vaccine have been administered at long-term care facilities in the area so far.

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