Health unit says up to 3-day wait for COVID-19 test in Windsor-Essex

Windsor-Essex is continuing to see dozens of new cases of COVID-19 per day, and the local health unit says residents could be waiting days to get a test.

Windsor-Essex County Health Unit CEO Theresa Marentette in some cases there could be up to a three-day wait for an appointment at assessment centres, though lab results are coming in within a day or two. 

"All of that combined, there is a little bit of delay in people getting tested and then getting their results at this time," she said.

Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH), which operates the only COVID-19 assessment centre within the city, said testing is being monitored but at the moment slots are open on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

"We are OK as of today and have swabbing available in two days right now. Our concern is if we are not prepared, this will expand for certain," WRH president David Musyj said in an emailed statement. 

For the week ending Nov. 29, 70 to 90 per cent of those with COVID-19 were contacted by public health within a day, according to Marentette. She added that it varies depending on the day of the week and the number of cases.

"We are getting a better handle on it but I think we need a few more days to see," she said.

The health unit reported 63 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the region's active case total to 415.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 3,801 cases have been recorded in Windsor-Essex, which is currently under red zone restrictions due to rapidly surging caseloads. There have been 82 deaths due to COVID-19.

Though the new restrictions have only been in place since Monday, the health unit has said the region is at risk of a lockdown, the strongest set of restrictions in the provincial framework.

Potential lockdown

Windsor-Essex County Health Unit medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed said at this time, information is being shared with the office of the province's chief medical officer Dr. David Williams but no decision has been made.

"We haven't had that specific conversation yet, whether we should or shouldn't go to lockdown. I hope to have that discussion once we had the chance to look at our data for one week, which is coming very quickly for us."

"We'd like to see where this is going but we also understand the impacts that it would have in our community," he said.

Snapshot of the pandemic in Windsor-Essex

Of the 63 cases announced across the region, 13 are close contacts of a confirmed case, three were community acquired, two were agriculture workers and 45 are still under investigation. Twenty-two people are in hospital, with five in the intensive care unit.

There are 19 outbreaks in the community, including seven at workplaces.

• Three in Leamington's agriculture sector. 
• One in Lakeshore's health care and social assistance sector. 
• One in a Leamington place of worship. 
• One in Leamington's finance and insurance sector. 
• One in Windsor's manufacturing sector.

Two community outbreaks are still active: one at Victoria Manor Supportive Living in Windsor and another at Riverplace Residence in Windsor. 

Three schools — Corpus Christi Catholic Middle School – Central Park Athletics Campus, Frank W. Begley Public School and W. J. Langlois Catholic Elementary School — are in outbreak. The latter two schools are closed.

There are five long-term care and retirement homes in outbreak:

• Village of Aspen Lake in Tecumseh with one staff case.
• 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. 
• Iler Lodge in Essex with 18 resident cases and three staff cases.