The WindsorEssex County Health Unit is reporting 66 new cases of COVID19
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has announced 66 new cases of COVID-19 in the area, pushing the local total past another milestone.
The area has now recorded 4,056 cases since the pandemic began and 83 deaths. 3,470 cases are listed as resolved.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed says it took 81 days to reach the first 1000 cases in Windsor-Essex.
"We raced from 1000 to 2000 cases in just 45 days after and then it took us 114 days to add the next 1000 cases in our area meaning, we did really well to move from case counts of 2000 to 3000, but then our cases increased at a rapid rate and it only took us 25 days to cross the 4000 mark," says Dr. Ahmed.
The latest cases announced Monday morning include 10 deemed a close contact with a confirmed case, one involving a healthcare worker while 55 remain under investigation.
There is currently 501 active cases in the community. 34 people are in the hospital receiving care for the virus with eight of those patients in the Intensive Care Unit.
Dr. Ahmed adds the health unit has reported 425 COVID cases since the region was moved to the red zone on November 30.
"Despite the restrictions from orange and now red zone, our case counts are not changing and based on that data our case rates are comparable to the areas that are in lock down," says Dr. Ahmed.
The health unit is currently tracking outbreaks in six long-term care or retirement homes, nine workplaces and in three schools.
- with files from AM800's Rusty Thomson