Weekly COVID-19 Update for the Blue Water Area

Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of May 1st at 11:15 AM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 41,379 confirmed cases; 3,789 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 375 confirmed cases; 22 deaths
  • Ontario: 16,608 confirmed cases; 1,121 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 183 confirmed cases; 14 deaths

The Emergency Operations Center updated the public on the priorities for distributing PPE in St. Clair County this week. The top priority is for acute hospitals and healthcare workers. From there, distributions go to urgent care workers, law enforcement, firefighters, then doctor’s offices. There is still a limited supply of PPE in the supply chain, but the since the number of new cases has slowed as a result of the stay at home order, it has allowed the EOC to keep up with distributing these resources to those on the front lines.

Mark White, Deputy Director of the St. Clair County Department of Emergency Management, shared that people still need to use extreme caution and follow the directives being issued for public safety. The EOC is still working to increase testing capability in this area, but St. Clair County is competing with much more heavily affected areas for valuable test kits. Wearing masks in public, observing social distancing, and washing your hands continue to be the best defense against contracting COVID-19.

In Sarnia, an outbreak was declared at Sumac Lodge which joins Vision Nursing Home and Landmark Village as the 3 local establishments with institutional outbreaks. 

The Government of Ontario recently announced that it is prepared to allow for temporary changes to provincial rules and regulations in order to remove barriers that are hindering businesses and that negatively impact Ontario’s supply chain. Information is available on the web at Ontario.ca <HERE> and a form to submit your suggestion is available <HERE> 

Please continue to rely on reputable sources for information on COVID-19:

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand