WINDSOR, ONT. -- The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is reporting 16 more deaths and 175 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.

Fourteen of the people who died are from long-term care and retirement homes - six women and one man in their 80s, five women and two men in their 90s. Two of the new deaths are from the community – a woman in her 80s and a woman in her 90s.

The local death toll related to COVID-19 has reached 226 people.

“As we continue to see the cases in our region and continue to see the deaths, it is tough,” says medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed. “It is hard, challenging. I want to express my sympathies and condolences to the families who lost their loved ones, but in the end we can also see the silver lining as we continue to roll out the vaccines in Windsor-Essex.”

All 19 long-term care homes have been vaccinated in the region. By the end of Tuesday, the health unit expects 13 of the 25 retirement homes will have received the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine.

Windsor-Essex has had a total of 9,990 confirmed cases, including 7103 people who have recovered.

Here’s the breakdown of new cases:

  • 19 are related to outbreaks
  • 9 are close contacts
  • 3 are community acquired
  • 144 are still under investigation

WECHU says 2,661 cases are considered active. There are 99 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the hospital and 17 people are in the ICU.

There are 45 outbreaks in the region, including 21 at LTC and retirement homes, 19 at workplaces, three community outbreaks and two outbreaks at Windsor Regional Hospital.