The Medical Officer of Health for Windsor-Essex is urging people to remain vigilant despite a decline in the number of new cases of COVID-19 in the region.
The Windsor Essex County Health Unit reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.
One is a health care worker, one is a farmworker, and one is a close contact of a confirmed case. There have been no additional deaths reported.
Dr. Wajid Ahmed said the risk remains in the community, even though most new cases are linked to a close contact.
"What we are concerned about are the people who may not be aware of their diagnosis. They never got tested. They could still be outside, or they could be having symptoms that may not be severe enough to warrant any medical care or going to the assessment centre," said Dr. Ahmed.
Dr. Ahmed said it would be wrong to assume that just because a new case is linked to an agri-farm or a health care setting that it did not originate in the community.
"We do not want to undermine the importance of these cases that are originating in the community, and then going into these settings, which is causing much more big problems. If we are controlling the community cases, that's how we will end up controlling the spread in these specific settings," said Ahmed.
The health unit tested an additional 531 people during random testing in Amherstburg on Thursday. A drive-thru random test site is set up in Tecumseh on Manning Road and Tecumseh Road until 4 p.m. on Friday.
The outbreak at Chartwell Royal Oak is now over. The health unit is still monitoring an outbreak at Heron Terrace long-term care facility.