CBC Windsor July 8 COVID-19 update: 47 new cases reported

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit reported 47 new COVID-19 cases in our region on Wednesday. 

Of these new cases, 45 are in agri-farm workers, one is a health-care worker and one case is still under investigation.

This is the fourth-highest day of confirmed cases reported in Windsor-Essex since the onset of the pandemic. 

Medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed said the new cases originated from farms that were already under an outbreak. 

"All were close contacts of the symptomatic cases, so by default they were at a high risk of contacting the disease," Ahmed said during a daily press briefing. 

Workers at the four farms under outbreak have been identified as "close contacts" of those who have already contracted the virus, said Ahmed, so they have already been self-isolating before the positive test results were announced. 

"Once you have a positive case it's easy to pretty much spread it to everyone else living at the same bunkhouse or accommodation."

"Some of the farms, when they had a case, they're seeing a substantial increase in the number of cases," said Ahmed, due to the exposure that already happened while workers shared a bunkhouse or other accommodation. 

"As far at looking at the outbreaks, we are dealing with these that continue to come from the farms we already know to have known cases."

Ahmed said a single farm worker can have as many as 20 to 30 close contacts due to living accommodations. Health unit officials have made recommendations to all levels of government, highlighting the need to change the Temporary Foreign Worker program which sets the guidelines for such living arrangements.

WATCH | The health unit's COVID-19 update for July 8:

Three seniors' homes in the area are currently under a COVID-19 outbreak. Riverside Place long-term care home in Windsor has had one staff member test positive, Devonshire Retirement Residence retirement home in Windsor has had three staff members test positive and Extendicare Tecumseh long-term care home has had one resident test positive for COVID-19. 

Five workplaces are currently under a COVID-19 outbreak. One is in the manufacturing sector and four others are in the agricultural sector. The businesses are located in Leamington and Kingsville but the health unit does not name businesses under an outbreak unless there is a risk to public health, say officials.  

On Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford cleared the last two regions in the province for reopening. Leamington and Kingsville are able to enter Stage 2 as of Tuesday. 

The communities have been held back from reopening due to the high rate of COVID-19 there, primarily in farm workers. More than 700 agri-farm workers have tested positive for the disease since the onset of the pandemic. Most of them are migrant farm workers. 

Under Stage 2 of reopening:

• Shopping malls can reopen.
• Restaurants and bars can serve customers seated outdoors.
• Barber shops, hair salons, day-spas and tattoo parlors can operate.
• Indoor and outdoor swimming pools, recreational activities and guided tours can resume. 

COVID-19 in Sarnia-Lambton

Lambton Public Health reported no new cases of COVID-19 in the region since last week. There have been 286 total cases in the region and overall, there have been 25 deaths. 

Another 259 people have recovered.

COVID-19 in Chatham-Kent

Chatham-Kent's health unit is reporting four new cases of COVID-19. The area has had 162 total cases, but only five cases are currently active. Those individuals are self-isolating. 

In Chatham-Kent, one person has died due to COVID-19 and 156 people have recovered.