The Acting Medical Officer of Health in Windsor-Essex has a response from the province to his letter calling for a province-wide indoor masking mandate.
The request was rejected.
The letter was also signed by Medical Officers of Health in Peterborough and the Niagara Region.
Asked if he would consider a local mandate now, Nesathurai continued to say it would be most effective if it came from the Ontario government.
"At this point, we're not contemplating any local order," he said. "But, we make a strong recommendation for people to do that, and I hope that people will heed that advice."
Meanwhile, this week's epidemiological summary shows a continuing drop in infection in high-risk settings. The case rate for the past week was 76.6 for every 100,000 residents, a decrease of 16.2 per cent from May 2 to May 8. Hospitalizations were also down in the region, but admissions to intensive care were unchanged, along with the percentage of positive tests. There were fewer deaths this past week, and there were five new outbreaks compared to four the week before.
More concerning is the third dose vaccination rate, which has remained virtually unchanged for weeks. Only 51.9 per cent of residents 12 and older have had their third shot, and of those 12 to 17-years, only 10.8 per cent have.
"COVID has killed approximately 620 people in the health district," said Nesathurai. "I worry that we may have a resurgence, an increase in cases, an increase in hospitalizations, an increase in deaths."
Nesathurai also called for more research into long COVID, characterized as experiencing symptoms for at least two months.
For some, the condition is debilitating, causing fatigue, shortness of breath, and cognitive dysfunction. Nesathurai pointed to a study published in the Nature Journal that suggests scans on some patients show abnormalities in the brain.
There is no data indicating how prevalent long COVID is in Windsor-Essex, but those with severe illness are more likely to experience it, along with five to 30 per cent of those who had moderate COVID-19.
The health unit reported a total of 53 new cases in high-risk categories, 38 on Wednesday and 15 on Thursday. No new deaths were reported since the last public update on Tuesday.
The active caseload has fallen to 63 patients, and there are eleven active outbreaks with seven of them in long-term care facilities, three in the community, and one in a hospital.
Of patients in hospital, 23 were admitted as of 1 p.m. Thursday. Eighteen of them are at Windsor Regional Hospital, with ten being treated primarily for the virus. Three patients at WRH are in intensive care. At Erie Shores Healthcare, there were five patients being cared for, but none are there with COVID-19 as the main complaint.
The next scheduled update with public health officials is on June 2.