Good afternoon,
LOCAL NUMBERS
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is reporting 136 new high risk cases today, along with the loss of a member of the community. Due to the changes in eligibility for testing and limited testing capacity, the rise of Omicron cases, and the shifted focus of case, contact, and outbreak management to high-risk settings, these case counts are an underestimate of the true numbers of individuals who have COVID-19 within Windsor-Essex County. The health unit defines high-risk cases as those coming from individuals who are eligible for PCR testing in accordance with Ontario's current testing guidance. Yesterday, there were 94 cases in our region, and from Saturday to Monday there were 360 cases.
There are now 695 active high risk cases in the area, with 67 confirmed cases in the hospital, and nine in the ICU. There are eight workplace outbreaks, 19 community outbreaks, six hospital outbreaks, and 15 outbreaks in long-term care/retirement homes. Locally, 85.7 per cent of individuals over the age of five have received at least one dose of the vaccine, 81.7 per cent have received two doses, and 52 per cent of those over 18 have received their booster shots.
Today, Toronto reported 482 cases, Peel reported 283 cases, and Hamilton reported 139 cases. Across the province today there were 3,162 new cases, but health officials warn this number is an underestimate due to testing restrictions. Yesterday, Ontario reported 2,092 cases, and on Monday there were 2,088 cases. There has been at total of 1,061,403 cases since the pandemic began, and there are currently 2,059 people in the hospital with COVID-19, and 449 in the ICU.
AMBASSADOR BRIDGE PROTEST
The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce, along with more than 70 other Chambers and business associations have signed a joint letter urging the government to work to end the protest and re-open the Ambassador Bridge. Similarly, Mayor Dilkens and Windsor Police Chief Pam Mizuno made a request today for additional resources from both the provincial and federal governments to resolve the issue. You can read more here.
Yesterday, my local colleagues, MPP Lisa Gretzky, MPP Taras Natyshak, and I released a statement calling for the provincial government to act urgently on the matter. We continue to call on the provincial government to provide support to local law enforcement to put an end to the blockades and occupation. Ontario needs the Premier to stop the blockade at Ambassador Bridge today.
RAPID ANTIGEN TEST AVAILABILITY
Today, the Ministry of Health announced that Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) would be available at grocery stores and pharmacies starting today, with a limit of one box of five tests per household per visit. My office has heard from many of you that access to these tests is not consistent from store to store, and some places, such as Walmart, are requiring an online order in order to obtain a RAT kit. We have been calling to grocery stores and pharmacies to try to identify who has RATs and what the requirements are to obtain them. Our caucus is calling for the government to stop all corporations from forcing people to pay anything to get access to a rapid test. We are calling for rapid tests to be accessible to everyone, for free, distributed through the mail and in person. We are also calling for the government to reverse their decision to block people from getting a PCR COVID test if they’re worried they might have the illness.
At the time of writing, the following locations have RATs:
Apollo Pharmacy
1169 Lauzon Road
Available after 10 am tomorrow
Carerx Windsor East
100-2425 Tecumseh Road East
Some available – still working on distribution
Central Drug Mart
5415 Tecumseh Road East
Available – no additional requirements
Central Drug Mart
3691 Tecumseh Road East
Available – – no additional requirements
Family Health Pharmacy
1400 Provincial Road
Available at the Service Desk – no additional requirements
Food Basics
2090 Lauzon Road
Available at the Service Desk – no additional requirements
Food Basics
2750 Tecumseh Road West
Available at the Service Desk – available tomorrow 8 am
Metro
11729 Tecumseh Road East
Available at the Service Desk – no additional requirements
Metro
3663 Tecumseh Road East
Available at the Service Desk – no additional requirements
Parkway Medical Pharmacy
8B-6711 Tecumseh Road East
Available – no additional requirements
Riverside Medical Pharmacy
7775 Wyandotte Street East
Available – no additional requirements
Shoppers Drug Mart
7720 Tecumseh Road East
Available – no additional requirements
Sobeys
19 Amy Croft Drive
Available Friday at 8am at Service Desk – no additional requirements
Walmart (various locations)
Require online order of at least $35
Zehrs
5890 Malden Road
Will be distributed through customer service after 8 am tomorrow - – no additional requirements
DO NOT GO TO THE PHARMACY
Zehrs
400 Manning Road
Will be distributed through customer service after 8 am tomorrow – no additional requirements
DO NOT GO TO THE PHARMACY
Zehrs
7201 Tecumseh Road East
Will be distributed through customer service after 8 am tomorrow – no additional requirements
DO NOT GO TO THE PHARMACY
VACCINES
First, second, and third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are available at one of the three mass vaccination sites, located in the former Sears store at Devonshire Mall, at Hotel-Dieu Grace HealthCare, and at the Grovedale House Community Hall in Kingsville. All mass vaccination sites are now accepting walk-ins. Moreover, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is now available for individuals aged 30 years and older at any vaccination site. Grovedale House is open from 9am to 3:45pm Tuesday to Saturday for pre-booked or walk-in appointments. Hotel Dieu's clinic will be available from 2:30pm to 6:30pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday; and from 12pm to 4pm on Tuesday and Friday. To book an appointment, please visit www.wevax.ca.
Pop-up vaccination clinics will be available at the following locations next week:
- Thursday February 10 – Mackenzie Hall Pop-Up Vaccination Clinic – 3277 Sandwich St, Windsor – 9am to 3pm
- Thursday February 10 – Consulate of Mexico Pop-Up Vaccination Clinic – 350 Hwy 77, Leamington – 2pm to 6pm
- Friday February 11 – St. Clair College Downtown Campus Pop-Up Vaccination Clinic – 201 Riverside Dr. W, Windsor – 9am to 3:30pm
- Friday February 11 – Windsor Essex Hospice (Leamington) Pop-Up Vaccination Clinic – 197 Talbot St W, Suite 701, Leamington – 10am to 3pm
Please continue to stay safe and follow public health guidelines.
- Percy