(Photo of a COVID ward courtesy of Erie Shores Healthcare)(Photo of a COVID ward courtesy of Erie Shores Healthcare)
Windsor

MOH explains how unvaccinated are creating a greater burden of COVID-19

While the unvaccinated among us are less than 20 per cent of the population that is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, they make up 89 per cent of intensive care admissions.

That from Acting Medical Officer of Health Doctor Shanker Nesathurai at the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

There are about 51,000 people in Windsor-Essex who remain unvaccinated. The number of fully or partially vaccinated is 314,000.

Yet, they made up about half of all hospital admissions in the past week.

The figures underline the message public health officials like Nesathurai have been voicing since vaccinations started.

"The higher the vaccination rate, we can reasonably infer that the burden of disease is less because less people being in the hospital, less people in the ICU," said Nesathurai.

Over the past week, more doses have gone into arms. However, booster shots account for that gain. Manager of Epidemiology Ramsey D'Souza intimated it could mean the overall rate is stagnating.

About 82.8 per cent of the eligible population had had both shots now, a figure that has grown very slowly. Over 11,000 people have had the booster.

Thursday's epidemiological summary also showed a rise in the case rate to 64 per 100,000 residents. Last week, it was 34.9. The percentage of swabs that test positive is also up. It was 4.3 per cent in the past seven days from 3 per cent in the previous week.

If a replicating rate of less than one signals the virus is waning, the local R0 is 1.3, suggesting each case confirmed can expect to result in at least one more in the community.

There were 66 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday morning and 326 active infections. Of the new ones, 21 people had close contact with a previously confirmed case, 19 picked up the virus in the community, 15 are out-break-related, and 11 remain under investigation.

The health unit also confirmed the death of a young person under the age of 20.

There are 27 outbreaks in the region, including at five schools. Workplaces or community outbreaks number 19. There is one at the Ouellette Campus of Windsor Regional Hospital. Two are at retirement or long-term care homes; Village at St. Clair and Chartwell Royal Oak.

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