COVID-19 cases in Windsor-Essex have already surpassed the province's thresholds to push the region into the red zone on the COVID-19 response framework.
On the provincial scale, a region will be put in the red or control level when weekly incidence rates are above 40 per 100,000 population. Windsor-Essex's incidence rate is now at 49 per 100,000 people.
A positivity rate of 2.5 per cent would also put a region into the red, and Windsor-Essex now has a positivity rate of four per cent.
"Just going with the quantitative data, I think the numbers are increasing every day so we are definitely at risk but we want to give it another couple of days to see how things unfold," said Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed.
After reporting 55 new cases on Tuesday, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit reported 42 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. Among the new cases, 19 are close contacts of confirmed cases, five agricultural workers, one healthcare worker, while two are travel-related to Michigan, and two are community-acquired. The health unit is still investigating 14 cases.
A growing number of outbreaks in the community is also an indicator to put the region in the red level. There are now outbreaks at five long-term care facilities, three workplaces, two schools, and two community facilities.
The region currently has 341 active cases. Area hospitals are treating 18 people for COVID-19, five of whom are in the intensive care unit.