Having the highest case rate and positivity rate for COVID-19 in Ontario is not good news, but at least it makes the region a top priority for receiving the new Moderna vaccine.
Medical Officer of Health at the Windsor Essex County Health Unit Doctor Wajid Ahmed said the first shipment of the vaccine will arrive in the region Wednesday and the first vaccinations will be given next week.
While vaccination efforts using the Pfizer dose have focused on healthcare workers in long-term care over the past week, the Moderna shot will initially be given to residents at facilities that are not in outbreak.
Ahmed hoped there would be enough in the first shipment to vaccinate half of all residents at 44 facilities.
Public health nurses are already undergoing training to give the inoculation. They will travel to the homes and treat the residents with the help of staff on-site.
”While we continue to see cases, and still feel some people are not following the recommendations, at least with this vaccine we can protect our most vulnerable,” said Ahmed, stressing that even with the vaccines people will still need to socially distance and wear face masks for some time yet. “It’ll be a relief for us.”
”There’s a different energy at the health unit,” added CEO Theresa Marentette. “It brings hope.”
Marentette reported 163 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday. Of those, 34 are connected to the region’s current 42 outbreaks. Two of the cases are from close contact with previously confirmed cases, two were acquired in the community, and 125 are still under investigation.
There are 90 confirmed cases, and 130 suspected ones in the region’s hospitals, with 19 people in intensive care.
Across the province Wednesday, there were 19 more deaths and 2,923 new infections reported.
So far, 519 people have been texted by the agency’s new Virtual Assistant and told they need to self-isolate. Through the online tool, 95 new contacts of positive cases were identified.
