WINDSOR, ONT. -- Chatham-Kent Public Health has reported another COVID-related death, bringing the total number of deceased to eight people since the start of the pandemic.

Medical health officer Dr. David Colby reported a woman in her 90s passed away on Feb. 9 at Fairfield Park Nursing Home, which remains in outbreak.

She is the second resident in the Wallaceburg long-term facility to die after contracting COVID.

The first death was reported on Feb. 4.

Despite the grim news, Colby remains optimistic active cases continue to trend downward.

Management reported 24 cases among residents and 31 cases among staff in the 103-bed residence Thursday, compared to a total 88, reported on Feb. 4.

“The number of new cases has slowed considerably,” said Colby.

He also addressed concerns, expressed by union leaders representing workers at Fairfield, that the home failed to supply members with proper medical masks to employees.

Colby said the supply of masks had not receive certification, but there was no reason to believe the masks were inadequate.

Fairfield is the last long-term care centre in Chatham-Kent to receive doses of vaccine as it remains in outbreak.

If the trend of cases continues, Colby hopes a health team might be able start vaccinations for Fairfield residents by the end of next week.

Other than Fairfield, other LTC homes have been vaccinated, with the last going Thursday at an elder centre in Delaware Nation.

Colby is unsure what colour code the province will designate Chatham-Kent coming out of the lockdown, but based on active cases and transmission rates he believes either red or orange.

Not a fan of jurisdictional colour designation, Colby stated, “I won’t be happy if Chatham-Kent has lower restrictions than its neighbours, as it encourages people from those areas to come here.”

Meanwhile, an outbreak in the COVID Unit at Chatham-Kent Health Alliance was rescinded, and the hospital’s president is expecting a second outbreak in the Medicine Unit will be lifted in a number of days.

“We expect to have ambulatory care and surgeries to resume by Tuesday,” stated CKHA president and CEO Lori Marshall.

Marshall said surgery time has already been booked and those patients have been notified of their appointments.