The Windsor Essex County Health Unit reported the death of a man in his 20s Wednesday morning and 127 new cases of COVID-19.
The latest fatality in Windsor-Essex did not have any underlying health conditions. He was admitted to the hospital on December 4.
The death is the 85th fatality in the region since March.
"I don't want to even imagine how hard it is for a family to lose someone that young," said Medical Officer of Health Doctor Wajid Ahmed expressing his condolences.
He said he hopes it serves as a wake-up call for those who still do not take the pandemic seriously.
CEO Theresa Marentette's voice broke as she added, "It's heartbreaking. Every day this past week I'm announcing a new death, and it doesn't matter how old you are."
Wednesday's case count is a record for the region, beating a record set in July when over 90 cases were recorded in an outbreak at a farm.
Of the new cases announced, 102 remain under investigation.
Another 20 patients acquired the virus from close contact with cases the health unit is already tracking, while three cases were acquired in the community. One was a worker in the agri-food sector and one is a healthcare worker.
There are currently 566 active cases across the region, of which 33 are in the hospital. Nine of those people are currently in the intensive care unit.
Ahmed also called on the federal government to shut down the border to all non-essential travel. He told reporters there are people getting through who are not essential workers in the healthcare system in Michigan or transportation industry. He said the health unit became aware of those "slipping through the cracks" from different sources.
"We do not want to see people travelling," he stressed, pointing to different definitions for essential worker in Michigan and Canada. "We understand Michigan depends on our healthcare workers, but everyone else, full stop."
Michigan now has a total caseload of 410,295, with 22,322 in Detroit.
The Ontario government typically announces new restrictions on Fridays, but Ahmed said no matter what the province does, he is considering new restrictions for the region. He said he expects to present those Friday morning.
