Some seniors 80+ in Windsor-Essex thrilled about vaccinations starting Monday

For 81-year-old Roy Trowell, getting the vaccine means protecting himself and others after nearly a year of devastation from COVID-19. 

"I'm happy, I'm pleased," he said. "I didn't think it'd ever be available so soon ... I think it's just the right thing to do, to protect myself and to protect others as well." 

Windsor-Essex residents aged 80-years and older can now register to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the health unit announced Thursday. That includes Trowell and his 82-year-old wife.

Theresa Marentette, CEO of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU), said the vaccine rollout will begin Monday for those in the age group who live outside of long-term care and retirement facilities. The move puts the Windsor-Essex region ahead of others in Ontario to start the process, according to officials. 

The health unit will be able to vaccinate 150 people on the first day and up to 200 per day based on current supply levels.

"Right now we have very limited vaccine," Marentette said.

There are two sites being set up.

The WFCU Centre will be open as of March 1, and Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre in Leamington will be open on March 8. Appointments will be available Monday to Friday, typically from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Public health will be offering the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine until additional supply of the Moderna shot is available.

Registration will be taking place online and by phone starting Thursday afternoon. Information will be available on the health unit's website.

Those who register will be randomly selected for appointments and no one needs to rush to register, Marentette said.

"The pre-registration is not a first-come, first serve system," she said.

Trowell, who is also the president of the Leamington and District Half-century Centre, is eager to get vaccinated and thinks the site locations are convenient. But he said his wife is in and out of a wheelchair so it might be challenging for her. 

He also says many of the other seniors he's talked to all seem to be "in favour" of the vaccine. 

Windsor ahead of provincial plan

Windsor-Essex will be one of the first regions — if not the first — to start vaccinations for those 80 and older living in the community, health officials said. In Ottawa, vaccinations for some 80-plus residents are starting on March 5.

The province announced Wednesday that it would be opening up registration for a vaccine appointment system on March 15, with shots for 80-plus residents to begin that week. 

We're just a little bit ahead of the province, so we created this system.- Theresa Marentette, CEO and chief nursing officer for WECHU

Windsor-Essex was one of the first areas to receive supply of COVID-19 vaccine due to high case counts, and the region was able to get through vaccinations for some priority populations in a timely manner, said Dr. Wajid Ahmed, the region's medical officer of health.

A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes in order to make the roll out for the 80-plus population happen, he said.

"We have been working every day, and our staff have been really amazing to pull all this together in such a short period of time," he said.

Majority of deaths among 80+ residents

Overwhelmingly, the region's COVID-19 deaths have been among seniors.

Almost two-thirds of those who have died from COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex were 80 or older, Ahmed said.

There have been 378 COVID-19 deaths in the region since the pandemic began.

The health unit announced two new deaths Thursday, a man in his 50s and a woman in her 80s.

There were also 34 newly confirmed cases of the virus. Five of those cases are connected to outbreaks, 12 were close contacts of confirmed cases, 11 were community acquired and six are still being investigated.

There are 47 people in hospital with COVID-19, including four in intensive care units.

12 outbreaks remain active

There are currently a dozen outbreaks active in Windsor-Essex.

Two are taking place at Windsor Regional Hospital and two are active at shelters serving people experiencing homelessness, the Downtown Mission and Salvation Army.

There are 81 cases of COVID-19 associated with the Mission outbreak, and 34 at the Salvation Army.

There are four active outbreaks at workplaces:

• One in an agriculture setting in Leamington.
• One in LaSalle's finance and insurance sector.
• One in Windsor's health care and social assistance sector.
• One in a Windsor manufacturing setting.

There are four active outbreaks at long-term care and retirement facilities:

• Franklin Gardens in Leamington, with 38 resident cases and 16 staff cases.
• Regency Park in Windsor, with 25 resident cases and 15 staff cases.
• Rosewood Erie Glen in Leamington, with 43 resident cases and 10 staff cases.
• The Village at St. Clair in Windsor, with 177 resident cases and 143 staff cases.

COVID-19 in Sarnia-Lambton, Chatham-Kent

There were no COVID-19 cases announced by Chatham-Kent Public Health Thursday, and 17 cases remain active overall. No COVID-19 patients are in hospital, down from two on Wednesday, and one outbreak remains active.

An outbreak at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance medicine unit has been resolved, the hospital announced.

Sarnia-Lambton reported seven new COVID-19 cases Thursday, but the number of active cases fell by seven as well since Wednesday. There are 65 active cases.