Health unit announces 30 new COVID-19 cases

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) reported 30 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, with the number of active cases remaining at273.

Of these cases, twoare related to outbreaks, eightcases are close contacts of confirmed cases and onecase is travel related to Michigan. Another 18 cases are under investigation with one case beingcommunity acquired.

There were no new COVID-19 deaths announced Wednesday, and overall 401 residents of Windsor-Essex have lost their lives.

Overdoses at record high

Theresa Marentette, CEO and chief nursing officer of WECHU, also addressed the alert put out by the health unit regarding the number of drug overdoses in the community.

An alert was issued following 27 overdose-relate emergency department visits in Windsor in the last week.

Marentettesaid that the rate of overdoses this year was highercompared to the past fiveyears during this time. She notes that factors such as changes in drug supply and more people using drugs alone may be at play.

She encourages people in the community to reach out to those who are vulnerable and ensuringthey have access to naloxoneas the city works toward establishing a safe injection site.

Vaccinating vulnerable groups

A total of 51,636 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered to Windsor-Essex County residents.

The number of vaccinated staff and residents in long term care homes and retirement homes who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine is 7,160.

The unit confirms they are currently not reschedulingappointments for those seeking second-dose vaccination. Close to 1,000 people have hadappointments cancelled after the province changed guidelines for the time in between shots.

Marentettealso noted that discussions are happening to expand Essex-WindsorEMS at-home vaccination services for those with mobility issues.This may include elderly individualsand those who have health vulnerabilitiesand accessibility issues when going to a physical location to get vaccinated.

A vaccination timeline is also not yet in place for migrant workers who are prioritized in Phase 2 of Ontario's vaccination rollout but would mostly take place atNature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre in Leamington.

St. Patrick's Day public health measures

Marentettereinforced sticking to all public health measures and regulations with Windsor-Essex still in the red zone on this St. Patrick's Day.

Tobacco and vaping enforcement officers will be working with local bylaw officers today and into the evening to ensure businesses are adhering to physical gathering requirements.

Current outbreaks

Two workplaces have active outbreaks:

• One in Lakeshore's public administrationsector
• One in Windsor's retailsector

There are also two active outbreaks at long-term care and retirement facilities:

• Riverside Place in Windsor, with one staff case.
• Leamington Mennonite Home, with one staff case.

COVID-19 in Sarnia-Lambton, Chatham-Kent

Lambton Public Health announced fournew active cases, bringing the total to 179 . There have been2,451 cases in total in that region, which has recently moved into the province's grey-lockdownzone.

In Chatham-Kent, fournew cases of COVID-19 were announced with 65 active cases. One outbreak has also been declared at a place of worship.