For the first time in many weeks, the high-risk COVID-19 case rate in Windsor-Essex is below 100.
This week's epidemiology summary from the Windsor Essex County Health Unit said there were 91.4 cases for every 100,000 residents, a drop of 18.4 per cent from last week and 54.5 per cent from a month ago when it was 201.2.
The health unit stopped tracking the case rate in the broader community last December and currently only follows cases in high-risk settings. It reminds the public the case rate is an underrepresentation of the virus's true impact on the community.
Between January and April 2022, 2,095 people in high-risk settings tested positive for the virus, almost three-quarters of which were among staff members.
The percentage of positive tests didn't change from last week. It was still 6.9 per cent.
The health unit also said hospitalizations are stable and the number of outbreaks reported declined from 11 in the previous report to four over the past seven days. The viral load in our wastewater continues to decline after peaking a month ago.
There were more deaths over the past seven days. Eight people died after contracting COVID-19, compared to three the week before.
The health unit reported a total of 80 new high-risk cases of COVID-19 Thursday afternoon, with 41 on Wednesday and 39 Thursday, creating a big drop in the number of active high-risk cases to 150.
One man has passed away since Tuesday. He was in his 90s and living in the community. The death toll now sits at 620 lives lost.
There were 36 people being treated in hospital for COVID-19 as of 1 p.m. Thursday. Windsor Regional Hospital was caring for 29 of them, with 22 admitted for the virus. At Erie Shores Healthcare in Leamington, there were seven patients admitted, with four of them having the virus as the main reason for care.