CBC Windsor May 13 COVID-19 update: One more person has died, 17 seniors' homes under outbreak

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit reported another person has died due to COVID-19 in our area. 

A man in his 60s died on Tuesday related to COVID-19, said medical officer of health, Dr. Wajid Ahmed. 

There are now 745 cases of COVID-19 in the Windsor-Essex area, an increase of 13 cases from Tuesday. About 39 per cent of all cases are in residents and staff of long-term care and retirement homes. 

There are outbreaks at 17 long-term care and retirement facilities, as mass results of the mass testing conducted at these facilities have shows just how far-spread the virus has become to the area's most vulnerable population. 

Ahmed said we have a higher amount of elderly individuals in Windsor-Essex and many of them suffer from chronic illness, making them more vulnerable to the disease. 

Of the 62 people who have died due to COVID-19 in our area, 47 of those individuals were residents of long-term care and retirement homes. 

Earlier this week, Ahmed said he expected a jump in the number of COVID-19 cases reported in the area, and more senior's facilities being added to the outbreak list as results came in from the mass testing conducted at these facilities. 

On Tuesday, the health unit reported two people have died due to COVID-19 in the region. 

One woman in her 90s and another woman in her 80s passed away Monday. Both women were residents of long-term care homes. 

WATCH| The health unit's COVID-19 update for Wednesday, May 13:

Testing centre opened for Indigenous community

The Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC) is expanding testing and services to the Indigenous community at large, and there is a test facility located in Windsor. 

"We want First Nations, Métis and Inuit people to know they have options when it comes to access to testing," said Elayne Isaacs, integrated care manager at the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre.

You do not need to be a client of SOAHAC to be screened and tested at the facility and services are open to all First Nations, Métis and Inuit people living in and around Windsor and Essex County, including Caldwell First Nation in Leamington.

Testing is currently provided by appointment at SOAHAC in Windsor at 1405 Tecumseh Road West, however patients should call 519.916.1755 first for a standard screening and to set up an appointment. 

Typically, the centre serves close to 700 individuals and is expanding, said Isaacs, but there are more than 8,000 Indigenous peoples in Windsor-Essex according to the census. Though Isaacs said that number is much larger. 

Emergency food boxes in Essex, Harrow on Thursday

The Unemployed Help Centre of Windsor and Unifor Local 444 are distributing emergency food boxes on Thursday to the communities of Essex and Harrow. 

They say demand is high. 

Two drive-thru locations will be set up. One at the Essex Centre Sports Complex parking lot at 60 Fairview Ave. from 9 a.m. to noon and the other at the Harrow Arena parking lot at 243 McAffee St. from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Each hamper will contain about seven days worth of food per person. 

Sarnia mayor wants border closure extended at least another 30 days

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley hopes the federal government is able to negotiate at least another 30-day border restriction with the U.S., saying he believes it would be ideal to maintain restrictions until key border states and provinces are able to bring COVID-19 under control. 

"I think it would be foolish to reopen that border until Michigan and Ontario and New York state have control of COVID-19 completely," said Bradley. "We should keep it closed for non-essential traffic until at least [another] 30 days. Personally, I'd prefer longer, since we've shut down our own communities basically until at least July 1."

As of Tuesday, Ontario has approximately 20,900 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Michigan has reported more than 48,000 cases, and New York has more than 338,000 confirmed cases, largely due to the 186,000 cases reported in New York City alone. 

Lambton Public Health reported there are 204 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region. Overall, 17 people have died and 146 people have recovered from the disease. 

Long-term care home Vision Nursing Home in Sarnia is currently under an outbreak. There are eight cases among residents and two cases in staff members. Three residents there have died. 

COVID-19 in Chatham-Kent

Chatham-Kent Pubic Health reported 90 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the municipality, with more than half of them connected to a single workplace.

The recent uptick was due to an outbreak at Greenhill Produce greenhouse near Kent Bridge. Fifty-two workers there have tested positive for the disease. 

In Chatham-Kent, one person has died due to COVID-19 and 83 people have recovered.