Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, Windsor, January 16, 2020. Photo by Mark Brown, WindsorNewsToday.ca.Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, Windsor, January 16, 2020. Photo by Mark Brown, WindsorNewsToday.ca.
Windsor

Windsor-Essex case rate stable as province-wide lockdown looms

With another province-wide lockdown on the horizon, the Windsor Essex County Health Unit reported 37 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.

Cases, hospitalizations, and ICU utilization continue to be much lower in Windsor-Essex compared to a lot of other hotspots in the province.

“If that decision comes down from the province, we will have an opportunity to still protect and preserve many of the things that we have here, especially our healthcare system,” said Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed.

Local hospitals are currently treating 14 patients who have tested positive for the virus and four of those are in the intensive care unit.

There were 2,557 cases reported across Ontario Thursday and there are 1,111 people in the hospital fighting the virus.

“While the ICU utilization is increasing in the province ours is stable or is at least going somewhat on a downward trend so we are in a much better spot and I truly hope that we continue to stay that way,” said Dr. Ahmed.

Dr. Ahmed is asking residents to follow public health guidance from the province because while the region is doing relatively well, things can change quickly.

“Our community has seen how bad it can get and how quickly we have lost lives, how quickly we have seen the cases rise. So I think for the greater good there may be more consideration and people, despite if they agree with it, they will follow it. That’s my hope. We’ve got a great situation right now with the vaccine roll-out and everything. We don’t want to make it worse,” said Dr. Ahmed.

The medical officer of health believes the local vaccine rollout has helped to keep our numbers stable.

“We are moving ahead we are vaccinating thousands of people every day,” said Dr. Ahmed. “This, in combination with some of these measures that are currently in place, and people following these measures is helping us to manage our case counts to a relatively stable position.”

To date, 81,335 people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.  Vaccine clinics remain open over the holiday weekend and still have appointments available for residents 70 years and older.

Local pharmacies have indicated to the health unit that all of the vaccine doses delivered to them through the provincial pilot program have been spoken for. There is no word on when local pharmacies will receive additional doses.

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