WINDSOR, ONT. -- The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit says there are 11 new cases of COVID-19 in the region, but there are no additional deaths.
During the daily update on Tuesday, Windsor-Essex medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed took some time to explain testing in the region and the desire to test more residents in the community.
As of Tuesday morning, there are 794 cases in the area, including 453 people who have recovered.
Overall, 14,180 people have been tested in the area, with 922 results pending.
Ahmed says the two local assessment centres will test people who show even one symptom.
“We want to make sure we are testing people even with milder symptoms,” says Ahmed.
He says they have better lab capacity now and there are more businesses opening, so they want to get a handle on what the situation is like in the community.
“The expectation is that we should get the results back in 24 to 48 hours,” says Ahmed. “Our system has gotten better.”
Ahmed says even though they want to do more testing, he does not want residents to ease up on social distancing and other preventative measures.
“Right now the best way to protect ourselves from COVID-19 is prevention, not testing,” says Ahmed.
The health unit says a total of 63 people have died in Windsor-Essex related to the virus. There are 17 long-term care facilities in the region experiencing outbreaks.
In Chatham-Kent, 137 people have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday morning.
