12,000 kids affected by COVID-19 dismissals, as Windsor-Essex hits 3rd-highest infection rate
89 new cases Wednesday as public health pleads with the public to limit the spread
Windsor-Essex has climbed provincial charts once again reaching the third-highest infection rate of COVID-19 in Ontario, and public health is ready to slap on more safety measures if necessary.
According to Ontario data, Windsor-Essex has the third highest infection rate as of Wednesday, after Algoma and Temiskaming. Kingston and Sudbury are currently in the fourth and fifth spots.
In a media briefing Wednesday, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit acknowledged the local uptick, saying that public health is ready to implement more safety measures if necessary.
"My biggest concern is we're seeing clusters in the community of people having social and recreational events, and I understand that, but they also created high-risk situations," said Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, acting medical officer of health for Windsor-Essex.
"The last time we had this many cases was early September and we're going into a season with more human to human interaction … so we are very concerned we're going to see increasing cases over the next few weeks."
Other regions in Ontario have implemented COVID-19 measures that were thought to be a thing of the past, and Nesathurai said Windsor-Essex will be no different if it comes to that.
Meanwhile, Windsor-Essex children are being affected by the thousands.
12,000 children have been dismissed due to COVID-19
Nesathurai reported Wednesday that about 600 school cohorts have been dismissed so far this year, which means as many as 12,000 students have had their education interrupted.
This is more than the health unit expected, and officials say the spread is largely coming from social activity outside of school.
The superintendent and COVID-19 lead for the English Catholic school board told CBC News on Tuesday she believes families told to isolate are not heeding that advice.
"What we really need is for our isolated dismissals — we need our students to remain isolating. We are hearing that some of our families are not taking the isolating seriously," said Kelly-Ann Bull.
The health unit is aware of that issue, said CEO Nicole Dupuis, who explained that case and contact management done by WECHU includes following up with those who are supposed to remain isolated
However, like many of the public health measures, there's a "civic responsibility" that also needs to happen.
"Those 12,000 young people are doing their part to break the chain of transmission …" said Nesathurai.
The top doctor explained that students and schools are adhering to public health advice, but that the virus can spread among families and to more vulnerable populations and vice versa. He said vaccination is important here.
"I would appeal to every person in their 50s and 60s today who is not vaccinated who can be vaccinated to think about the real superheroes, kids in schools."
That age group [50s and 60s] appears to have a lower vaccination rate, compared to more elderly people in their 70s or 80s, said Nesathurai, who have a much higher rate of vaccination.
Meanwhile, 4,231 first doses of vaccine have been administered to children aged five to 11, since it was made available to them last Thursday. That's about 12.8 per cent of that population in Windsor-Essex.
Climbing numbers
Locally, 89 new cases were added in Windsor-Essex Wednesday and no new deaths.
There are 571 active cases in the community, with 23 people currently in hospital.
There are 28 active outbreaks within the community, including at eight schools:
- St. Joseph's Catholic Elementary School
- Gore Hill Public School
- Queen Elizabeth Public School
- W. F. Herman Academy Elementary School
- Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School
- Malden Central Public School
- St. John Vianney Catholic Elementary School
- Stella Maris Catholic School
With files from Windsor Morning
