Medical officer alarmed by U.S. virus numbers

Region’s top doctor says misinformation about COVID-19 boosts spread of disease

Misinformation poses a greater challenge to the community than COVID-19 does.

That was the message from medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed during the Windsor-essex County Health Unit’s daily briefing Monday morning.

Through a live video broadcast to the health unit’s Youtube channel, Ahmed said misinformation spread by individuals who “are not even doctors, let alone public health experts” is creating a lack of trust in public-health guidelines meant to keep people healthy. That could lead to “confusion” and cause further spread of the novel coronavirus throughout the community, he said.

“It is absolutely critical that you follow the recommendations and follow the experts,” said Ahmed. While some people are debating the scientific efficacy of wearing face masks instead of putting them on to “promote safety for everyone in the community,” others — particularly in the United States — are spreading conspiracy theories about whether or not the virus actually exists.

“When I’m looking at their numbers (in the U.S.), it is scary. It scares me,” Ahmed said. “My friends, my family, they also live in the U.S. What they’re experiencing right now is probably what we were trying to prevent in the first place.”

The number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. continues to climb while other countries, like Canada, have seemingly flattened the curve. More than 60,000 new cases were reported in the U.S. on Monday.

The local health unit reported an additional 15 cases of COVID-19 on Monday. Ten of them were among agricultural farm workers, three were attributed to community spread, and the origin of two are under investigation.

“Many people in the U.S may not even understand how the virus spreads,” Ahmed said. “There is still some doubt that maybe it’s some kind of conspiracy — there is a lot of misinformation out there and we really need to be focused on what our end goal is.”

Maintaining a physical distance of two metres from others and avoiding large public gatherings continue to be the most effective public-health strategies in the fight against COVID-19, he said. Also, wear a face mask when physical distancing cannot be maintained and avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unclean hands. Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and water.

Over the weekend, the health unit reported 20 additional cases. Half of them were agricultural farm workers, three are from separate workplaces, one works in Michigan but is not a healthcare worker, and two are unemployed close contacts of previous cases. The origins of the final four weekend cases were still under investigation at the time they were reported.

To date, 1,815 people in Windsor and Essex County have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Of those, 1,187 people have recovered, 528 are self-isolating, and 68 have died.

Three local residents with the disease are in hospital. The health status of the remaining 29 cases is still under investigation by the health unit.

Two long-term care and retirement homes are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks. One staff member at Riverside Place in Windsor tested positive for the virus on July 4, and one staff member at Augustine Villas tested positive on July 10. The recent outbreak that was declared at Devonshire Retirement Residence in Windsor has been rescinded.

The health unit is monitoring six additional workplaces in the region for COVID-19 outbreaks. These are places where two or more employees have tested positive for the virus and the health unit has determined one employee likely gave it to another. One of the workplaces is a manufacturing facility in Leamington, and the remaining are agricultural facilities — four in Kingsville and one in Leamington. The health unit has not released the names of the workplaces.