A woman is her 80s is the latest death linked to COVID-19 in Chatham-Kent.
Jeff Moco of Chatham-Kent Public Health said the woman passed away on Friday at the hospital in Chatham. Her death is the 13th coronavirus-related death in Chatham-Kent since the pandemic began.
The local public health unit also reported on Monday morning that two local residents with the virus have left the hospital, leaving zero hospitalized COVID-19 patients from the municipality. Local Public Health only reports Chatham-Kent residents who are in the Chatham hospital.
However, another COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at A.A. Wright Public school in Wallaceburg. The health unit declared the outbreak on Saturday after a second case was discovered. This is the second outbreak at A.A. Wright. The first one had a total of five cases and was declared over on March 31.
Ursuline College Catholic Secondary School in Chatham is still under an outbreak that was declared on Thursday. Hudson Manor Retirement Home in Tilbury also continues to be in outbreak. The number of workplace outbreaks has dropped by one and currently sits at two.
The number of active cases has dropped considerably. Public Health reported nine new cases and 29 resolved cases to bring the total number down to 45 active cases. However, the number of cases suspected to involve variants of concern has shot up to 99. Five are U.K. variants and 94 are related mutations still under investigation to identify the variant.
As of Friday afternoon, Walpole Island First Nation was down to eight active cases and three deaths.
Chatham-Kent Public Health said just over 26,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered across Chatham-Kent with nearly 25,000 people having at least one dose.
Meantime, Chatham Hope Haven will be hosting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on April 19th from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. General Manager Loree Bailey said public health officials will be on site at the Haven to administer vaccinations to those experiencing homelessness.
"We know that for people without housing, the risk of COVID is very real," said Bailey. "The message of 'stay home and stay safe' applies to all of us. We know that this is a tool in the prevention of the virus. If you don't have a home, you don't have this tool. We want to make sure that those experiencing homelessness have every possible opportunity to protect themselves."
Bailey added the clinic is open to all who use the services of the Haven, regardless of age. A health card or other identification is not required and no appointment is necessary.
People are asked to enter the shelter through the back door in the same manner that they always do. She said local physician Dr. Robert Mayo will be available to answer any questions.
Hope Haven provides services to help the homeless, including laundry, meals, emergency clothing, and food. Bailey said offering a barrier-free COVID-19 vaccination clinic is a logical addition.