Health unit hopes border proximity makes Windsor a priority for COVID-19 vaccine

With COVID-19 vaccines on the horizon but not here yet, the local public health unit is asking the public not to let their guarddown.

"We just need to hang on tight for just a little while longer," said Dr. Wajid Ahmed, medical officer of health for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

Despite the vaccine rollout beginning in the U.K. and other countries, it will still be months before we can talk about removing COVID-related measures, he said.

"Until then, please follow all the public health measures to keep everyone safe."

Dr. Ahmed said public healthwill be ready to give out the vaccine starting with priority groups as soon as it's delivered. But it's not known yet when the region could start receiving the vaccine or how much of it will be immediately available.

Windsor-Essex has unique challenges in the pandemic, including the high proportion of cross-border workers, Dr. Ahmed said.

"I hope that Windsor-Essex will be a priority for this government to roll out the vaccine in the region," he said.

There were 57 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Windsor-Essex on Tuesday, and the health unit also announced the death of a woman in her 70s.

Her death is the region's 84th COVID-19 fatality.

There have been 4,111 confirmed cases in Windsor-Essex, 491 of which remain active.

The health unit said of the 57 cases announced across the region Tuesday,11 are close contacts of a confirmed case, two are health care workers, one is an agrifarm worker and 43 are still under investigation.

Thirty-seven people are in hospital, with 10 in the intensive care unit.

There are 20 active outbreaks in the community, including two at hospitals one at Hotel Dieu Grace Healthcare hospital and another at Windsor Regional Hospital.

There are seven workplace outbreaks, including:

• Two in Leamington's agriculture sector.

• One in Lakeshore's health care and social assistance sector.

• One in Windsor's health care and social assistance sector

• One in Leamington's finance and insurance sector.

• One in Windsor's manufacturing sector.

• One in Kingsville's manufacturing sector

One community outbreak is still active, at Victoria Manor Supportive Living in Windsor.

A new school outbreak was declared Tuesday, at General Brock Public School. Corpus Christi Catholic Middle School - Central Park Athletics Campus remains in outbreak.

The outbreak at Frank W. Begley Public School is still considered active, though it is set to reopen Wednesday.

W. J. Langlois Catholic Elementary School was active as of Tuesday morning, but that statushas since been rescinded. The school reopened Monday.

There are outbreaks at six long-term care and retirement homes:

• Devonshire Retirement Residence in Windsor with one staff case.

• Chartwell St. Clair Beach in Tecumseh with four resident cases.

• Village of Aspen Lake in Tecumseh with two staff cases

• Leamington Mennonite in Leamington with two staff cases.

• Chartwell Royal Oak Residence in Kingsville with two staff cases.

• Riverside Place in Windsor with 17 resident cases and three staff cases.