As COVID-19 continues to spread, the Windsor Essex County Health Unit is once again urging residents to get vaccinated.
"We have accomplished so much together so far and I know we can improve our vaccination rates to protect people," said Chief Executive Officer Nicole Dupuis. "We are at a critical point and it is very important that we continue to improve our vaccination rates."
Over the last three days, the health unit confirmed 173 new infections in the community. Among those new cases, 64 are close contacts of previously confirmed cases , 37 are community-acquired, three are outbreak related and three and travel-related. The remaining cases are still under investigation.
There are currently 515 active cases in the community and 312 of those have been identified as a variant of concern.
The health unit also reported two additional deaths in the region since September 10. A woman in her 70s and a woman in her 80s passed away after testing positive for COVID-19.
Local hospitals are treating 20 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. Windsor Regional Hospital is reporting 13 patients in its care, six are fully vaccinated, six are unvaccinated and one is partially vaccinated. Of those patients, six are in the intensive care unit and one of those is unvaccinated.
The health unit has issued a COVID-19 public exposure notice for Croatia Sport Club in Windsor. Anyone who visited the facility on September 4 may have been exposed to the virus. This is considered a low-risk exposure. People are asked to monitor themselves for possible symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested if necessary. A full list of public exposure notices can be found here.
There are 20 active outbreaks in the region, including 17 workplaces and one long-term care home.
To date, 74.1 per cent of eligible residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The province's vaccine verification program comes into effect on September 22, 2021.