Windsor-Essex tops 5,000 COVID-19 cases

Since the start of the pandemic, more than 5,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex.

The grim milestone was reached Wednesday after the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit announced 113 new cases.

Five out of the last eight days have had case totals in excess of 100, prompting dire pleas from officials for residents to obey lockdown rules and follow public health advice.

Dr. Wajid Ahmed, medical officer of health for WECHU, said the newly imposed restrictions should help but he never thought case counts would get this high.

"With [a] region of our size, with this many cases a day, it's totally unimaginable by any measures," he said

It took only 10 days to go from 4,000 cases to 5,000, he said. For every thousand cases,100 people are expected to be hospitalized and 20 to 30 are expected to succumb to the illness, according to Ahmed.

"I'm not trying to fear-monger...it's just stating the facts," he said.

Throughout the region, 57 people are in hospital with 12 in intensive care. Ahmed said he believed that was the highest-ever number of hospitalizations for the region.

In addition, 79 suspected cases are hospitalized in Windsor.

There are 105 residents of long-term care and retirement homes with COVID-19, along with 62 staff members.

That includes an outbreak at The Village at St. Clair where one resident has died as a result of the disease and 54 others  have been infected, along with 34 staff members, according to an update on the home's website. 

There are also 21 cases of COVID-19, with more results pending, across three outbreaks on farms, Ahmed said.

Snapshot of COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex

There are 890 active cases in Windsor-Essex and 91 people have died since the pandemic began.

Of the new cases announced Wednesday, 27 are connected to outbreaks, five are contacts of confirmed cases, two were community acquired and 79 are under investigation.

There are also 25 active outbreaks  — including one at Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and two at schools, General Brock Public School and L.A. Desmarais Catholic Elementary School.

The latter outbreak was declared on Wednesday.

There are three outbreaks in community settings, Manor Lodge House, Victoria Manor Supportive Living and Assisted Living Southwestern Ontario.

There are 11 workplace outbreaks:

• Three in Leamington's agriculture sector.
• Three 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 eight COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care and retirement homes:

• La Chaumiere Retirement in Puce with one staff case.
• Extendicare Tecumseh in Tecumseh with eight resident and five staff cases.
• Berkshire Care Center in Windsor with 16 resident and 19 staff cases.
• The Village at St. Clair in Windsor with 34 staff cases and 54 resident cases.
• Country Village in Woodslee with two staff cases and two resident cases.
• Devonshire Retirement Residence in Windsor with one staff case.
• Chartwell St. Clair Beach in Tecumseh with 30 resident cases and one staff case.
• Village of Aspen Lake in Tecumseh with two staff cases and one resident case.