The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit is reporting another death linked to COVID-19.
The death was reported on Monday morning. Jeff Moco of the health unit’s communications team said a man in his 60s passed away at a hospital outside of Chatham-Kent. It’s unknown if he was vaccinated against the virus.
The local health unit has now logged a total of 35 deaths linked to COVID-19 since the pandemic started. Eight deaths have been reported in Chatham-Kent so far in 2022.
Local public health officials reported 215 new cases on Monday, but warn the confirmed cases underestimate the true number of COVID-19 infections in the municipality because the numbers only capture high risk people currently eligible for PCR testing.
The health unit also reported a new COVID-19 outbreak at an unidentified group home in the community. The outbreak was declared on Friday and has three cases. There are now 13 active outbreaks being reported in Chatham-Kent, five of which are at local group homes, three at long-term care facilities, four at retirement homes, and one within the Dialysis Unit at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance's Chatham site.
Meanwhile, the capacity at the ICU in Chatham-Kent is holding steady at 70 per cent capacity, unchanged compared to Friday.
The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance reported on Monday that there are 31 COVID-19 positive patients in the hospital and 15 of them are not vaccinated against the virus. Four of the COVID-19 patients are in the intensive care unit, with all of the COVID-positive individuals in the ICU on ventilators.
The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance also reported that 65 staff members are currently off work because of COVID-19 or being exposed to it, a decrease compared to Friday when 77 employees were reported as being off.
