The sixth wave of COVID-19 continues to loosen its grip on Windsor-Essex, according to the local health unit.
As of 1 p.m. Tuesday, the health unit reported 84 active high-risk cases of the virus in the region, continuing an ongoing decline. The number of active outbreaks has also fallen to single digits, with nine currently being monitored. Six of them are in long-term care or retirement facilities, two are in the community, and one is in a hospital unit.
There was a total of 163 new high-risk cases of COVID-19 reported since the health unit's last announcement on Thursday. These include 56 on Friday, 40 on Saturday, 33 on Sunday, eight on Monday, and 26 Tuesday. The eight cases reported on Monday is the lowest daily count since early October 2021, though COVID-19 testing guidelines have been adjusted since then.
There were 26 patients battling COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex hospitals as of Tuesday afternoon. Windsor Regional Hospital was caring for 21 of those patients, with 11 of them primarily admitted for COVID-19. Out of the 21 patients, 18 of them are fully vaccinated. There were five people at WRH in intensive care, three of them fully vaccinated.
At Erie Shores Healthcare, five people were being treated, but none of them had the virus as the chief complaint.
The health unit reported last week that the number of Windsor-Essex residents who had received booster shots of a COVID-19 vaccine had levelled off. As of Tuesday, 52 per cent of residents 12 and older had received a third dose or booster shot.