WINDSOR, ONT. -- The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is reporting 45 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday.

Windsor-Essex has had a total of 3,210 confirmed cases of the virus, including 2,903 people who have recovered.

Here’s the breakdown of new cases:

  • 13 cases are close contacts of confirmed cases
  • 7 cases are community acquired
  • 4 cases are travel related
  • 2 cases are healthcare workers
  • 1 cases is in the agri-farm sector
  • 18 cases are still under investigation

There are 230 active cases being monitored. WECHU says 11 people are in the hospital and two are in the ICU.

The region has seen double-digit increases in new cases for six straight days.

“We are starting to see a huge uptick this month,” says medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed, who added it could be partially due to Halloween gathering.

As of Nov. 14, the positivity rate for the region is 2.9 per cent.

Ahmed says if the cases continue to rise, “we are at a risk of overwhelming our healthcare system.”

He says many of the new cases are due to close contacts and he is urging residents to limit social gathering and follow public health guidelines.

"Even though 90 per cent of the people are following, if 10 per cent of the people are not following, that can result in a significant widespread transmission of COVID-19, so it has to be all of us," says Ahmed.

The health unit is also keeping track of several outbreaks.

A school outbreak was declared at W. J. Langlois Catholic Elementary School on Thursday. The outbreak is in a classroom and the school remains open.

WECHU also declared a school outbreak at Frank W. Begley Elementary School in Windsor on Tuesday, dismissing the entire school community.

There are three outbreaks in long term care and retirement homes. Iller Lodge in Essex has 17 residents and one staff member with the virus.

Lifetimes on Riverside has five residents and four staff members who have tested positive. Berkshire Care Centre also has one staff case.

There has also been an outbreak at a residence at the University of Windsor and one workplace outbreak at an agricultural facility in Leamington.

There have been 77 deaths related to COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex. Fifty-four deaths are related to residents in retirement or long-term care homes and two are related to migrant workers.