The Windsor Essex County Health Unit has confirmed 6 new cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, bringing the local total to 2,680. They say 2,567 people locally have recovered.
Cases increased from 2,674 on Monday October 5th to 2,680 on Tuesday October 6th and 37 cases of COVID-19 are currently active in Windsor-Essex.
The Health Unit says 3 of the cases are close contacts of confirmed cases, 1 case is a worker at an agri-farm, 1 case is community acquired and 1 case is still being investigated.
There have been no additional deaths due to COVID-19 as of Tuesday and the local death toll stands at 76.
As of Tuesday, the Health Unit lists 2 people as hospitalized with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in Windsor Essex, and 1 hospitalization is listed at Windsor Regional Hospital.
There are no workplaces, retirement homes, long-term care homes or schools under outbreak as of Tuesday.
Thanksgiving Celebrations
Dr. Wajid Ahmed, Medical Officer of Health says Thanksgiving traditions should change this year to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Thanksgiving is a time of year when we celebrate all we have to be thankful for,” he said. “As part of tradition, families gather together to share a meal and celebrate. This year however we all need to set new tradition and find new ways of celebrating Thanksgiving safely, preventing the spread of COVID-19.”
Dr. Ahmed says the risk of transmission of COVID-19 increases during closed gatherings like Thanksgiving.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to reinforce the recommendations set by the province,” he said. “The safest way to celebrate is to keep your celebration as small as possible. For families this means limiting your dinner or event to only those in your household. If you do choose to host a guest outside your immediate household for Thanksgiving, make sure they do not attend if they are unwell.”
Dr. Ahmed reminded reporters that Windsor-Essex’s community clusters reached upwards of 40 cases quickly and said it “just takes one person” to start the spread of COVID-19
“Even they are not aware, their symptoms may be mild, or they may be in the early symptomatic phase and could potentially put someone at risk,” he said. “More specifically when we are talking about families and coming together, that could also mean your parents, your grandparents who may be older, who may have some kind of underlying issues.”
Dr. Ahmed offered some tips for Thanksgiving: share a virtual meal instead of hosting people in person, wash your hands frequently, spend some time outdoors to get fresh air, and if you’re sick, stay home.
