COVID-19 checkup: 'The numbers have remained low'

Windsor Regional Hospital is reporting five COVID-19 patients in hospital – none in ICU – as of Monday.

“So that's unusual,” says Erica Vitale, director of infection prevention and pandemic planning for WRH. “Over the wintertime we've had upwards of 80 individuals in hospital with COVID. So it's been a nice, quiet summer with respect to that.”

WECHU Medical officer of health Dr. Mehdi Aloosh agrees, “We are in a steady state.”

According to their most recent data, posted every Thursday at noon, WECHU is reporting 11 new high risk cases, test positivity rate of 6.97 per cent and two outbreaks in long-term care. To date, there have been 54,777 COVID-19 cases here and 768 people have died from the virus.

“We're at the point where COVID is probably going to be circulating just like a lot of the other respiratory viruses,” says Vitale. “The numbers have remained low.”

Vitale and Dr. Aloosh hope to keep cases low in Windsor-Essex by asking residents to continue to be vigilant.

“Stay home when you're sick. Don't come to work if you're not feeling well. And maybe if you have some suspicious symptoms, maybe start masking at work as well just to protect your co-workers and not spread anything,” says Vitale.

Dr. Aloosh encourages residents to speak to their doctor about COVID-19 and flu vaccines going into the fall.

“Vaccines are the most effective tools to prevent infection and severe outcomes,” says Dr. Aloosh.