The Medical Officer of Health in Windsor-Essex is confident the region can test more people as the economy begins to reopen.
Public health officials have said increased testing will be critical as more businesses reopen to measure the impact looser restrictions have on the infection.
During his daily update Friday, Dr. Wajid Ahmed said while those who are asymptomatic may not be able to get tested for COVID-19, those showing symptoms will not be turned away from the region's two assessment centres.
Dr. Wajid Ahmed, medical officer of health for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, speaks with reporters on March 12, 2020. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
Ahmed said the rate of infection in Windsor-Essex is headed in the right direction. Calculations show it would take more than five days to double the rate of new infections. If one person in the community is infected, doctors can expect less than one person, or 0.86 per cent, to catch the virus from that individual. If that rate continues or lessens, the virus will die out.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit reported another 11 cases Friday, but another 11 people also recovered. The total caseload is 762, and 396 people have recovered. Of the active patients, 26.6 per cent are currently self-isolating, and 3.1 per cent are in the hospital. Ten per cent of all cases are unknown, and eight per cent have died.
So far, the virus has claimed the lives of 62 people, a number that has not changed since Wednesday.
Most of those deaths are in long-term care and retirement homes, and currently, the health unit is working with 15 facilities experiencing outbreaks. However, Ahmed told reporters only one of the cases reported Friday was in long-term care. The rest were either from community transmission or having close contact with an infected person.
He also stressed the pandemic is at a critical juncture and urged the public to ignore misinformation on social media. He recommended people rely only on reputable sources like their local health unit, public health agencies, and organizations like the Centres for Disease Control and World Health Organization for information on the virus.
As marinas, golf courses, private parks, and campgrounds open on Saturday, Ahmed said bylaw enforcement officers would be out to ensure social distancing protocols are followed.
As for when the public can begin to reconnect with family and friends, Ahmed suggested those measures may be revisited soon. He said there have already been discussions at the provincial level.
