All of Windsor's LTC homes have received first vaccine dose as case count approaches 10K

COVID-19 vaccines have been rolled out at all long-term care homes in Windsor-Essex, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit reported Monday.

WECHU CEO Theresa Marentette said residents at all 19 long-term care homes in the region have received the first of two doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

"It is a huge accomplishment. There's a lot more work to do, though," she said, adding that many residents still have to be vaccinated because they have yet to recover from COVID-19.

Dr. Wajid Ahmed, WECHU medical officer of health, said the region was the first in the province to vaccinate all of its long-term care homes.

The health unit is now moving onto retirement homes, two of which are expected to be completed Monday. Two other retirement homes have already been vaccinated because they were attached to long-term care homes.

The news comes as 21 long-term care and retirement homes remain in outbreak.

Meanwhile, the region's COVID-19 case count inched closer to 10,000 after the health unit reported 142 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday.

The total was the lowest daily case count reported so far this month. Ahmed said it would be too soon to conclude that cases are declining.

"I truly hope so, but this is just a one-day decline, and we'll have to see what the next few days bring," he said.

Since the pandemic began, there have been 9,815 confirmed cases in Windsor-Essex, 2,728 cases of which are active.

Of the new cases announced Monday, 11 are outbreak-related, three are close contacts of confirmed cases, two are community acquired and 126 are still being investigated.

There are 99 people in hospital in the region, with 17 in the ICU. 

• Windsor hospital braces for post-holiday impact, extends COVID-19 Assessment Centre hours

There are 45 outbreaks across the region.

Two outbreaks are active at Windsor Regional Hospital's Ouellette campus.

Three community settings — Salvation Army Centre of Hope and two Assisted Living Southwestern Ontario locations — are also in active outbreak.

Outbreaks are active at 19 workplaces:

• Four in Leamington's agriculture sector.
• Five in Kingsville's agriculture sector.
• Three in Windsor's health care and social assistance sector.
• One in Leamington's health care and social assistance sector.
• One in Windsor's food and beverage service sector.
• One in a personal service setting in LaSalle.
• Three in public administration settings in Windsor.
• One in a retail setting in Essex

There are 21 active outbreaks at long-term care and retirement facilities:

• Chartwell Royal Marquis, with one resident case
• Harrow Woods Retirement Home, with three resident cases and one staff case
• Seasons Retirement Home in Amherstburg, with one staff case.
• Devonshire Retirement Residence in Windsor, with nine resident cases and one staff case
• Iler Lodge in Essex, with two staff cases.
• Chartwell Royal Oak in Kingsville, with two staff cases.
• Rosewood Erie Glen in Leamington, with 15 resident cases.
• Chateau Park in Windsor with four staff cases.
• Leamington Mennonite Home in Leamington, with six staff cases. 
• Brouillette Manor in Tecumseh, with three staff cases.
• Augustine Villas in Kingsville, with 26 resident and four staff cases. 
• Sunrise Assisted Living of Windsor, with six resident cases and six staff cases. 
• Huron Lodge in Windsor, with 43 resident cases and 22 staff cases. 
• Sun Parlor Home in Leamington, with six staff cases.
• Banwell Gardens Care Centre in Windsor, with 106 resident cases and 38 staff cases.
• The Shoreview at Riverside in Windsor, with 24 resident cases and nine staff cases.
• Extendicare Tecumseh, with 81 resident cases and 42 staff cases.
• Berkshire Care Centre in Windsor, with 93 resident and 57 staff cases.
• The Village at St. Clair in Windsor, with 151 resident cases and 106 staff cases.
• Country Village in Woodslee, with three resident and two staff cases.
• Village of Aspen Lake in Tecumseh, with 50 resident cases and 16 staff cases.