Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, Windsor, January 16, 2020. Blackburn News file photo.Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, Windsor, January 16, 2020. Blackburn News file photo.
Windsor

WECHU adds 65 new cases to region's COVID-19 caseload

The Windsor Essex County Health Unit has added another 65 cases of COVID-19 to the region’s total.

Of Friday’s cases, public health officials are still trying to figure out where 58 people were infected. Those cases are still under investigation, adding to an already hefty caseload for those conducting contact tracing.

Another five cases are from close contact with a case that has already been confirmed, and two were acquired in the community.

Friday’s daily case count is the highest during the second wave of the pandemic and brings the total to 3,864 total cases since March. About 24 per cent of those cases are community-acquired, meaning there is no epidemiological link to other cases.

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed said the numbers will only go down when people start taking the public health guidelines seriously.

"Despite all these restrictions, our case counts are at an all-time high with cases everywhere, with 21 outbreaks for our region, it is significant. We all need to understand that the impact can only be seen if we all do our part," said Dr. Ahmed.

The health unit said three schools have outbreaks, along with eight workplaces, and six long-term care homes.

Outbreaks were declared Sunday at both Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and at Windsor Regional Hospital’s Ouellette Campus, and two others are in the community.

The region has a total of 424 active cases with 27 people in the hospital. Seven of those patients are currently in the intensive care unit.

In the last week, approximately 6,501 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the region and about 4.3 per cent of those came back positive.

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