WINDSOR, ONT. -- The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit reports 22 new COVID-19 cases in the region on Friday.
The health unit says 10 cases are in the community, seven are workers in the agri-farm sector, one is travel-related and four are under investigation.
There have been 1,879 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex, including 1283 people who have recovered.
Windsor-Essex medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed says it is important for residents to be vigilant with social distancing, wear masks and keep close contacts to a minimum.
“We have seen more cases increase in our region as a result of those close contacts,”says Ahmed.
Windsor-Essex has the second-highest rate of cases in the province.
The death toll in Windsor-Essex is at 69. Forty-nine deaths have occurred among residents in long-term care homes and two are related to migrant workers.
In the last 30 days the majority of the cases have been in the agri-farm sector in Leamington and Kingsville, but Ahmed says there has been a shift in the last seven days.
“We are seeing a spike in the cases in the Windsor area,” says Ahmed. “Could be partly due to the reopening of the businesses as well and some of the contacts that we are seeing so it is very important that we don’t lose our guards.”
In the last seven days, 53 per cent of the cases are from the agri-farms and 47 per cent are in the other/unemployed/retired/missing category.
There are also six workplaces experiencing outbreaks, one manufacturing facility in Leamington and five in the agriculture sector — four in Kingsville and one in Leamington.
There are currently two long-term care or retirement homes in outbreak status – Village of Aspen Lakes and Augustine Villas in Kingsville.
