FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Friday, April 10, 2020 | 1p.m. | Windsor-Essex County

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) continues to work with the Ministry of Health, local health care providers, and municipal partners to monitor and coordinate the response to COVID-19 as the situation evolves in the province and the community. Protecting the health and wellbeing of the residents of Windsor and Essex County remains our top priority.

To date, we have 290 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex, 8 deaths.

confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex, deaths. Overall, 2,088 individuals have been tested for COVID-19; and 249 tests are pending.

individuals have been tested for COVID-19; and tests are pending. There are 21,243 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada and 6,237 cases in Ontario, with 222 deaths.

* Local numbers are as of April 10, 8:00 a.m.

** provincial and national numbers are as of April 10, 11 a.m.

Individuals who suspect they have COVID-19 or are wondering if they should be tested should consult Ontario's Self-Assessment Tool.

If you need further assistance, call TeleHealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 or your health care provider. You can also call the WECHU at 519-258-2146 extension 1420.

What is happening locally?

The WECHU is reporting the death of a female in her eighties related to COVID-19. She passed away April 9th after several days in hospital. This is the 8th death related to COVID-19 for the Windsor-Essex region. Out of respect for the family no further details will be provided at this time. The WECHU is reporting an increase of 28 confirmed cases from April 9th to April 10th.

“I and the team at WECHU would like to express our condolences to the family during this sad and difficult time. It is with great remorse that I share the news of this loss for our community,” says Dr. Wajid Ahmed, Medical Officer of Health.

As part of COVID-19 Outbreak Guidance for Long-Term Care Homes (LTCH), Ministry of Health, any single confirmed case of COVID-19 in a staff person or resident of a LTCH is considered an outbreak for COVID-19. During an outbreak the WECHU works with the home to implement outbreak management protocols and actively monitors the situation. A COVID-19 outbreak can be declared resolved when there are no new cases in a resident or staff, 14 days from the last case being placed in isolation. To date of the eight outbreaks in Long-Term care one has been resolved for Riverside Place.

Current Long-Term Care Facilities and Retirement Homes in COVID-19 outbreak include:

Amica Riverside (Windsor) County Village Homes (Woodslee) Extendicare Southwood Lakes (Windsor) Franklin Gardens (Leamington) Heron Terrace (Windsor) Lifetimes on Riverside (Windsor) Village of St. Clair (Windsor)

More details regarding COVID-19 outbreaks can be found on the WECHU website.

Cases increased from 262 reported Thursday April 9th to 290 Friday April 10th. For further case details visit us at wechu.org.

The provincial government has issued a number of guidelines and restrictions under the provincial Emergency Act. For a full list of current recommendations, guidelines and restrictions, please visit the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit website.

To protect yourself from COVID-19:

Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly;;

Cough or sneeze into your sleeve or a tissue

Keep surface clean and disinfected;

Stay home unless essential to go out and stay home when you are sick;

Practice physical distancing (2 metres).

The WECHU encourages the public to follow credible sources for information about COVID-19. The WECHU monitors and updates our website daily including case counts for Windsor and Essex County. For up-to-date facts visit www.wechu.org.

Visit Ontario’s website to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19.