The current increase in Windsor-Essex's COVID-19 cases is reflected in the latest case rate per capita.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit reported Thursday morning that the rate is 113.4 cases per 100,000 people, compared to 73.8 last week. The rate is the third-highest rate in the province, trailing only the northern Ontario health units of Temiskaming and Algoma.
Health unit Epidemiology Director Ramsey D'Souza said that the rate is comparable to those seen just before the holidays last year, as Ontario entered its second wave of the pandemic.
"It is possible. I think last year our case counts were higher now than where we were, so there are concerns since we are seeing a high number of school dismissals as well," said D'Souza.
Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Shanker Nesathurai added that over 600 students have been told to learn from home, due to classes being dismissed from schools across all four public boards serving Windsor-Essex.
The COVID-19 positivity rate this week sat at seven per cent. The most recent seven-day rate was 5.4 per cent.
The comparison between those positive patients who are vaccinated versus those who do not get the shot remains glaring. The health unit said unvaccinated people are 3.4 times more likely to get the virus than vaccinated people. For hospitalizations, that number is sixfold.
On Thursday, the health unit reported 82 new cases of COVID-19. Two patients have died, a man in his 70s and a man in his 90s, both in the community, raising the Windsor-Essex death toll to 473.
The active caseload is up from Wednesday, to 585, but the rate of increase has slowed down.
Hospitalizations in the region have been steady, at 23 as of Thursday. There are 31 active outbreaks, with 14 in workplaces, nine in schools, seven in the community, and one in a long-term care facility.
The complete epidemiological summary for the week can be found on the health unit's official website.
