Windsor-Essex sees another spike in COVID, with 15 new cases

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit reported 15 new COVID-19 cases Friday a spikeinto double digits the region has not seen since Monday.

The new cases reported came from a variety of areas. Three were travel-related to Michigan two of which arehealthcare workers working in the state sevenwere close contacts of a confirmed case, three were community acquired, one is a local healthcare worker, and one is still under investigation.

Medical officer of heath Dr. Wajid Ahmed reiterated his concern from Monday about the scattered source of cases.

"Before we get to the point thatit's alreadywidespread and we need to talk about extreme measures, we need to contain it right now," he said.

Windsor-Essex has now had 2,891 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 70 of which are active, and 76 deaths. Three people are currently in hospital.

The region's local pandemic statusremains at orange, or a medium risk of transmission. Ahmed said that the health unit is still looking at ways that the local status system could work with Ontario's own colour-coded systemintroduced this week. The province's system goes into effect Saturday and has Windsor-Essex at green or "prevent" status, which is the lowest of its five tiers. The system formally goes into effect Saturday.

Iller Lodge, a long-term care home, and Lifetimes on Riverside, a retirement home, remainin outbreak. Iller Lodgehas fiveconfirmed cases and Lifetimes has seven.

Ahmed said in theWednesday briefingthat while it's still early when it comes to those outbreaks, the health unit does not see indications that theyare likely to be severe.

There are currently no workplace or school outbreaks in Windsor-Essex.

School reports second case

Roseland Public School reported a second case of COVID-19 Thursday. It is the first school to report more than one case. WECHU CEO Theresa Marentettesaid that the second case is a sibling ofthe first case.

Ahmed said multiple casesdoes not mean aschool is necessarilyin an outbreak.

"So the transmission didn't necessarilyhappen in a school setting, but instead probably in a household setting," he said.

COVID-19 in Chatham-Kent and Sarnia-Lambton

Chatham-Kent Public Healthreported 419confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday with 25active cases and three deaths.

Lambton Public Health reported 375confirmed cases of COVID-19as of Friday with sixactive cases and 25 deaths.