With Ontario officially in the sixth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, active high-risk cases are rising in Windsor-Essex.
Despite a drop in the daily new case count, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit reported 405 people in high-risk settings who have tested positive for the virus, an increase from 382 on Tuesday. That number may be an undercount due to current testing guidelines.
There were 131 new cases reported Wednesday to the health unit, a decline from 152 on Tuesday.
The number of patients in the hospital is stable. As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, there were 66 patients with COVID-19 in the area’s hospitals. Fifty-two were admitted to Windsor Regional Hospital, with 27 admitted primarily for the virus. Thirty-eight of those patients were fully vaccinated, with only one in the ICU.
At Erie Shores Healthcare, there were nine patients, with only three treated primarily for the virus. Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare has not reported updated numbers since March 24, but it had five patients at that time.
Twenty-three active COVID-19 outbreaks were being watched by the health unit, with 13 of them in long-term care and retirement facilities. Six outbreaks are in the community, and four are in hospitals.
With eligibility being expanded for second COVID-19 booster shots, the health unit reported that 6,545 people have had the maximum four shots as of Wednesday. Those with just one booster shot accounted for 51.2 per cent of Windsor-Essex residents 12 and older.
