The Windsor Essex County Health Unit reported 46 new cases of COVID-19 and four more deaths associated with the virus.
Officials say two women in their 60s and two men in their 70s passed away after testing positive. The individuals' vaccination status was not reported. There have been 443 deaths linked to COVID-19 in the community.
Among the new cases reported Wednesday, eight are close contacts of previously confirmed infections, four are community-acquired, and 34 cases are still under investigation.
There are 543 active infections now, a big drop from the 616 active cases reported on Tuesday. Over half of the cases involve a variant of concern.
Local hospitals are treating 22 patients who have tested positive for the virus. Windsor Regional Hospital reported of the 16 patients in its care, nine are unvaccinated and one is partially vaccinated. There are three patients in the intensive care unit, two of whom are unvaccinated and one is partially vaccinated.
There are 17 active outbreaks in the community, including one at a daycare in Kingsville. A total of 41 cases have been confirmed at Discovery Child Care among both staff and children. The children are all school-aged.
The outbreak was first discovered on August 27th and cases have been steadily climbing. The health unit has now ordered the facility to close. Staff and students have been instructed to isolate until at least September 17, 2021.
“It is essential that we act quickly and responsibility in order to prevent any further exposures of COVID-19 within this facility and the community. Due to the amount of spread it is difficult to determine exact exposure dates which makes the immediate isolation and testing of all affected individuals an important step to minimize further risk.” said Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed.
This is the largest outbreak connected to a child care setting seen in the region since the start of the pandemic.
The health unit has also issued two new COVID-19 public exposure notices. If you visited the Carter's OshKosh store on Tecumseh Road east on August 26 you may have been exposed to COVID-19. A second notice was issued for SkyZone Trampoline Park for August 30 and August 31, 2021 between 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. These are considered low-risk exposures. Anyone who attended these locations during the specified times is advised to monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested if symptoms occur.
