COVID-19 cases among youth declining in Windsor-Essex: public health

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit says the region is continuing to see COVID-19 cases gradually decline.

Over the last week, the number of new cases popping up have fallen from an average of 35 per day to 29, said Ramsey D'Souza, manager of epidemiology with the public health unit.

So far, there hasn't been an uptick in infections following Thanksgiving celebrations but the full effects may not be known yet.

The region is also seeing fewer cases among school-aged children, though the rate remains high relative to other populations, D'Souza said.

"The other positive sign is... our vaccination rates are now over 80 per cent and we're continuing seeing incremental increases to where we want to go," he said during a weekly epidemiological summary media briefing on Thursday.

On the other hand, the region has the fifth-highest COVID-19 rate out of all public health units around the province, and the second highest rate of test positivity.

Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, acting medical officer of health for the region, said the case counts are a positive sign but he continued to express concern over the impact of COVID-19 among youth.

"We still have a disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on young people, and we have dismissed, I think, up to this point, up to 300 cohorts or classes or groups of young people," he said, adding that he would like to see vaccination rates grow to 90 per cent.

Overall, 202 COVID-19 cases are active in the community and 14 people with COVID-19 are currently in hospital.

There are 19 ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks in the region.

Eight workplace outbreaks are ongoing:

• Two in the agricultural sector.
• One in the construction sector
• Three in the health care and social assistance sector.
• One in a manufacturing setting.
• One in retail.

An outbreak is ongoing at Forest Glade Arena. WECHU CEO Nicole Dupuis said the outbreak involved a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

"The cases remain small —it was enough to raise concerns and for us to declare the outbreak but in terms of the impact, it is contained," D'Souza added.

An outbreak involving one resident at Augustine Villas in Kingsville is ongoing.

Outbreaks are affecting the following nine schools:

• St. Angela Catholic Elementary School.
• Mount Carmel Blytheswood Public School.
• Giles Campus French Immersion Public School.
• Colchester North Public School.
• Leamington District Secondary School.
• West Gate Public School.
• St. Anne French Immersion Catholic School.
• Marlborough Public School.
• École élémentaire Louise-Charron.

COVID-19 exposure alert

Public health has issued a COVID-19 exposure notification for Harvest Bible Chapel on Spring Garden Road in Windsor.

Anyone who visited the church on Oct. 17 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. is asked to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for two weeks following that date. Anyone with symptoms is asked to get tested immediately.

COVID-19 in Chatham-Kent, Sarnia Lambton

In Chatham-Kent, the public health unit reported nine new COVID-19 cases, and the active case count stands at 53. One additional death was reported Thursday, bringing the municipality's total to 22 since the pandemic began.

In Sarnia-Lambton, there were five new cases and 88 are considered active overall.