Health unit reports 75 new cases of COVID

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The local health unit reported Friday that the region’s active case count had risen to 421, its highest level since mid-September.

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The continued rise in local cases comes as Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford publicly expressed concern about a new variant of the virus called Omicron that is found in several countries in Africa. Early reports suggest that the variant could be resistant to the vaccine.

“We cannot repeat the same mistakes that allowed the Alpha and Delta variants to enter our country. Our best defense at the moment is to stop this variant at the border, ”Ford said.

In its statement, Ford called on the federal government to immediately ban all flights and passengers from “countries of interest.” Later that day, the federal government did just that, banning visitors to Canada from southern Africa. The ban will apply to foreigners who have traveled through South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Namibia and Eswatini in the last 14 days. Those already in Canada who recently traveled through the region should self-quarantine and get tested for COVID-19.

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In Windsor-Essex on Friday, 75 new COVID-19 cases were reported, including 34 close contacts of confirmed cases, 21 attributed to community spread, one related to the outbreak and one related to travel. The sources of transmission for the remaining 18 cases are still under investigation.

To date, 21,503 local residents have tested positive for the new coronavirus. Of these, 471 people have died.

As of Friday morning, area hospitals had 14 COVID patients.

School outbreaks have been declared at St. Gabriel Catholic Elementary School, Leamington District Secondary School, DM Eagle Public School, St. Joseph’s Catholic Elementary School, Margaret D. Bennie Public School, Gore Hill Public School, Queen Elizabeth Public School, EF Herman Academy Elementary School and Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School.

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Two staff members at Village at St. Clair, a long-term care home in Windsor, recently tested positive, as did one staff member and three residents at Chartwell Royal Oak Long Term Care Residence in Kingsville.

An outbreak remains active on the Ouellette campus of Windsor Regional Hospital in the fourth floor medical unit.

Nineteen workplace and community outbreaks are also active in locations described by the health unit as collective settings, fitness and recreation centers, manufacturing settings, retail businesses, educational service settings, and a professional, scientific services setting. and technicians.

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