Windsor-Essex sees record 195 cases of COVID-19 as lockdown takes effect

Windsor-Essex saw another record-breaking increase in COVID-19 cases Monday as a region-wide lockdown and school shutdown went into effect.

There are 195 new cases as of Monday, and that increase means there 779 active cases in the region.

Around 15 to 20 of those cases are linked to "reporting issues," said Dr. Wajid Ahmed, medical officer of health for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU). But setting those cases aside, the figure still significantly exceeds the daily record of 127 set last week.

1st vaccine doses on the way

With the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine set to be administered in Toronto on Monday, Dr. Ahmed shed some light on when supply could start to arrive locally.

"We know that Windsor-Essex is a priority and I can tell you we should have the vaccine in a week or two," Ahmed said.

"The timeline is really short."

Vaccination will start with priority groups and there will be very limited supply available. The CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital previously estimated that the region would receive 2,500 doses by the end of the year — enough to vaccinate 1,250 people.

Lockdown takes effect

At 12:01 a.m., Windsor-Essex entered the grey "lockdown" zone of COVID-19 restrictions. Under the new rules, only essential businesses such as grocery stores and pharmacies can remain open.

"We hope that with the lockdown measures, people will follow the public health guidance and prevent any further spread of COVID-19 in our community," Ahmed said.

Restaurants can operate for takeout and delivery, and non-essential businesses can open for curbside pickup or delivery as well.

The measures have prompted criticism from some in the business community, who argue it's unfair that big-box stores are allowed to sell non-essential items as well as essentials.

A petition from the Downtown Windsor BIA that calls for "fairness" for small businesses has more than 4,000 signatures as of Monday morning.

Monday also saw the start of online learning for students at all schools. Late last week, the health unit ordered all school buildings to close for the week leading up to the holiday break.

Snapshot of the pandemic in Windsor-Essex

The tightened restrictions follow weeks of escalating COVID-19 cases and increasingly dire warnings from health officials about capacity in the health-care system.

The region recorded five additional deaths due to COVID-19 over the weekend, along with 115 new cases of the virus. Ninety-one people have died from COVID-19 in the region.

Overall, 4,763 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed since the start of the pandemic.

Fifty-three people with COVID-19 are in hospital, with 11 in the intensive care unit. WECHU CEO Theresa Marentette said there are 60 more suspected COVID-19 cases in hospital.

There are 21 active outbreaks in Windsor-Essex — with one at a hospital, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare.

There are two in community settings, Manor Lodge House and Victoria Manor Supportive Living in Windsor. 

There are nine workplace outbreaks:

• Two in Leamington's agriculture sector
• Two in Kingsville's agriculture sector
• One in Lakeshore'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 in Tecumseh's manufacturing sector

There are two schools with outbreaks, General Brock Public School and Corpus Christi Catholic Middle School - Central Park Athletics Campus.

There are seven COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care and retirement homes:

• Extendicare Tecumseh in Tecumseh with six resident and one staff cases
• Berkshire Care Center in Windsor with one resident and one staff case
• The Village at St. Clair in Windsor with one staff case and four resident cases.
• Country Village in Woodslee with two staff cases and one resident case.
• Devonshire Retirement Residence in Windsor with one staff case.
• Chartwell St. Clair Beach in Tecumseh with 21 resident cases and one staff case.
• Village of Aspen Lake in Tecumseh with two staff cases and one resident case.