Adults 18+ eligible for vaccination Tuesday in Windsor-Essex, 16+ essential workers next
'We are inching closer and closer to the finish line,' says medical officer of health
As of Tuesday morning, any adult in Windsor-Essex — as well as across Ontario — will be eligible to book their first COVID-19 vaccination.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) said online booking for an appointment at one of the six mass vaccination clinics will be available starting at 9:30 a.m. ET.
The provincial government said Monday it's expanding eligibility a week earlier than expected due to an early delivery of the May 24 shipment of vaccines.
WECHU chief executive officer Theresa Marentette said the health unit also plans to soon allow essential workers who are not yet adults —age 16 and up — to book a vaccine appointment, but details would be shared Tuesday.
In Windsor-Essex, the opportunity for all adults to get vaccinated comes about five months after the first COVID-19 shots were administered locally. So far, 59.7 per cent of adults, or 203,246 people, have gotten at least one shot.
"We are inching closer and closer to the finish line, and I'm confident that if we continue to vaccinate at our current rate, we will have a good summer in Windsor and Essex County," said Dr. Wajid Ahmed, medical officer of health.
Ahmed said the region's case counts need to come down, however, and noted nearly half of the cases involve people under 30.
The health unit reported 24 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, and 362 cases active overall.
Twenty people were hospitalized, including three in the intensive-care unit.
Of the new cases announced Monday, 14 were close contacts of previously confirmed cases, five were community acquired and five were under investigation.
There is one outbreak active in a community setting, the Southwest Detention Centre, as well as six outbreaks at workplaces:
- Two in Windsor's health-care and social assistance sector.
- One in Windsor's manufacturing sector.
- One in Windsor's mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction sector.
- One in retail settings in Windsor.
COVID-19 exposure notifications
The health unit has issued two COVID-19 exposure notifications since Sunday. As a precaution, those who visited the following locations at the the times below are asked to monitor for symptoms for 14 days from the exposure date:
Shopper's Drug Mart at 3950 Dougall Ave:
- May 8, 2021 from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m.
- May 9, 2021 from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m.
- May 11, 2021 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Colasanti's at1550 Road 3 in Kingsville:
- May 11 and 12.
COVID-19 in Sarnia-Lambton, Chatham-Kent
Also Monday, Sarnia-Lambton reported 88 active cases and the public health unit reported 12. There have been 57 deaths linked to COVID-19 since the pandemic began
Chatham-Kent Public Health, which last provided an update on Friday, reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, with 32 cases active overall.
