Next group of essential workers not yet eligible for vaccines in Windsor-Essex

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) has yet to set a date to offer COVID-19 vaccination appointments to the remaining group of essential workers, despite a rollout elsewhere in Ontario.

For health units that use the provincial vaccination booking system, front-line workers in Group 2 — which includes essential manufacturing and retail workers — became eligible to book appointments on Tuesday.

In Windsor-Essex, where the health unit uses its own booking system, only workers in the first priority group are currently eligible.

WECHU chief executive officerTheresa Marentette said the health unit is still looking at when it could offer the appointments to those workers.

"We'll continue to monitor our supply and our ability to open up, and we don't want to further frustrate our residents by opening up an eligibility criteria with not enough spaces or availability through the booking site," she said at the health unit's daily briefing on Tuesday.

Marentette said a portion of the essential worker population would already be eligible under the current priorities.

The health unit extended vaccine eligibility to those 40 and older on Monday, several days ahead of the provincial plan.

A full list of who is eligible to book a vaccination appointment is available at WEvax.ca.

2 more COVID-19 deaths

Two more residents have lost their lives to COVID-19, a man in his man in his 70s and a woman in her 60s, said Marentette.

Windsor-Essex saw a daily increase of 28 COVID-19 cases and 329 cases are currently active. Of the active cases, 190 involve the more contagious COVID-19 variants of concern.

There are 15 people in hospital, including three in intensive-care units.

As of Tuesday's update, 181,264 residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, representing 53 per cent of the adult population.

Health unit wait list

The health unit opens a daily wait list for people awaiting their first dose to take advantage of no-shows at mass vaccination clinics.

On Tuesday, Marentette said people turning 30 and older this year are eligible to sign up for a chance to get an appointment.

The health unit is asking anyone who cannot make their vaccine appointment to cancel it.

Of the new cases announced Tuesday, 14 are close contacts of previously confirmed cases, nine were community acquired and five are under investigation.

There are seven ongoing outbreaks, including one at Southwest Detention Centre that has been active since April 23.

There are six workplace outbreaks: 

• One in Leamington's agriculture sector. 
• One in Kingsville's agriculture sector.
• One in Windsor's health-care and social assistance sector. 
• One in Windsor's manufacturing sector
• Two in retail settings in Windsor.

COVID-19 in Sarnia-Lambton, Chatham-Kent

On Tuesday, Chatham-Kent Public Health reported three new cases of COVID-19. Overall, there are 32 active cases in the municipality.

In Sarnia-Lambton, the public health unit reported four new cases, for a total of 73 cases active.