Children and youth continue to take the brunt of COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex, but the key indicators suggest the virus is beginning to lose its grip on the region.
This week's epidemiological summary shows a significant drop in the case rate. The percentage of tests coming back from the lab positive is down, and the virus is not replicating in the community with the same force it has.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit's weekly report shows there were 28 cases of COVID-19 for every 100,000 residents this past week. That's a drop from 47.7 just seven days ago.
Twenty-nine per cent of all cases reported in the past two weeks have been among those under the age of 20. Those between 20 and 29-years account for 22 per cent.
Fewer tests are coming back positive. The percent positivity rate for the past week is 3.6 per cent, a drop of 0.4 percentage points from last week's 4 per cent.
Another key indicator, the rate at which the virus replicates, fell from 0.91 last week to 0.81. A replication rate of less than one indicates COVID-19's spread is weakening.
The region's vaccination rate also continues to climb, although slowly. The number of doses administered this past week fell to 4,007 from 4,416 the week before.
The summary showed vaccination rates remain low for younger cohorts. Only 66.4 per cent of those 18 to 24 are fully vaccinated, and just 68.5 per cent of those 12 to 17.
Over 81 per cent of all residents eligible for the vaccine have had two doses.
On Thursday, the health unit reported 17 new infections. Six were acquired in the community. The same number resulted from close contact, and five remain under investigation.
There are now 173 active cases in Windsor-Essex, of which 109 involve a variant of concern.
Across Ontario, there are 3,018 active cases. The province reported an additional three deaths on Thursday and 409 new infections.
