28 cases of COVID-19 variants found in Windsor-Essex

More than two dozen COVID-19 cases involving variants of concern have been recorded in Windsor-Essex, according to the public health unit.

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed said, in the last seven to 10 days, there has been an uptick in cases that have come back positive for the more contagious strains of the virus.

"We know the variants of concern spread very quickly and we are seeing an increase in the spread of variants of concern throughout the province, and our region is also experiencing the same," he said during the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit briefing on Monday.

The region's first case involving a COVID-19 variant of concern was reported early last month and the health unit has since issued several public exposure notifications related to variants.

According to the health unit's website, preliminary positives for variants have been found within the COVID-19 outbreaks at the Downtown Mission and Victoria Manor.

Executive director of Victoria Manor, Leigh Vachon, told CBC News Monday that so far the facility has one confirmed case of the variant and is waiting for more test results.

As of Monday, she said there are 18 positive residents and five positive staff members. 

Since confirmation of a variant, Vachon said they are now making residents — many of whom live with roommates, share bathrooms and other living spaces — to wear shields on top of their masks. The organization is also cohorting the people who have tested positive. 

Since the variants are known to spread more easily, Vachon said they are doing what they can to prevent transmission. 

When test results started rolling in over the weekend, Vachon said she "had herself a good cry" because, "it's extraordinarily stressful." 

"I'm entrusted to care for these folks, it's scary, it's exhausting," she said, adding that many of the people in her facility have a number of other underlying health issues. 

So far, one case involving the B117 variant — a more contagious variety first found in the U.K. — has been confirmed through lab testing. A further 27 cases are preliminary positives. The samples are tested to determine which of the variants known to be more contagious is involved.

The recent cases are "contained," Ahmed said, though there has been some transmission within families.

New strains of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been reported in Brazil and South Africa, in addition to the U.K. The variants are considered more transmissible and have sparked concern that they could fuel a third wave of the virus in Ontario.

The U.K.'s chief scientist said earlier this year that the variant found in that country may be more lethal but more research is needed.

To date, there have been 935 cases involving variants reported in Ontario as of Sunday, most involving the variant first found in the U.K.

One case of the variant associated with the U.K. has been found in Chatham-Kent.