COVID DEATH TALLY SOARS
More vaccine arrives
Another 16 people have died as a result of COVID-19 in Windsor-essex.
The local health unit reported on Tuesday that 14 more longterm care and retirement home residents had lost their lives after contracting the disease. They were six women and one man in their 80s, and five women and two men in their 90s.
A woman in her 80s and a woman in her 90s who lived in the general community also died.
Since March, 226 area residents have succumbed to complications brought on by COVID-19, and 152 of them lived in long-term care and retirement homes.
“As we continue to see the cases in our region and continue to report Covid-related deaths, it is tough. It is hard, challenging,” said medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed.
“I want to express my sympathies and condolences to the families who lost their loved ones.”
An additional 175 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Windsor-essex, bringing the total number of local infections up to 9,990.
There are 2,661 active cases in the region, with 101 in hospital and 19 in ICU.
Resolved cases number 7,103. By the end of the day on Tuesday, COVID-19 vaccination is expected to be complete at 13 retirement homes, said Windsor-essex County Health Unit CEO Theresa Marentette.
Anyone with an active case of COVID-19 or who is too acutely ill to receive the jab, as well as those who do not want to be inoculated, will not be immunized until they recover or they provide consent.
The province has confirmed another shipment of the Moderna vaccine will arrive in Windsor-essex at the start of February, Marentette said. As a result, the health unit is no longer withholding enough doses to immunize individuals twice.
Instead, those previously reserved second doses are being put into the arms of retirement home residents.
Marentette anticipates residents at all local retirement homes will be complete by Jan. 19.
The health unit announced it had delivered the COVID-19 vaccine to all 19 long-term care homes in the region.
There are 45 active COVID-19 outbreaks across the region.
Twenty-one outbreaks are at long-term care and retirement homes. Since Jan. 1, four homes have been added to the outbreak list: Seasons Retirement Home in Amherstburg, Harrowood Retirement Home in Harrow, and Chartwell Royal Marquis and Devonshire Retirement Residence in Windsor.
Nineteen of the outbreaks are at workplaces, including eight farms in Leamington and Kingsville and five health-care and social assistance businesses in Windsor, Leamington and Lakeshore.
A retail trade business in Essex, a food and beverage service in Windsor, a personal service setting in Lasalle, and three public administration facilities in Windsor also have outbreaks.
Community outbreaks are active at The Salvation Army Centre of Hope and the Assisted Living Southwestern Ontario locations on Dougall and Longfellow avenues.
Windsor Regional Hospital continues to manage two outbreaks at its Ouellette campus.