Dr. Wajid Ahmed; Medical Officer of Health for Windsor-Essex County, joined the Satellite Club this past Tuesday to discuss Covid-19 in the area and facts relating to the pandemic.
Dr. Wajid Ahmed; Medical Officer of Health for Windsor-Essex County, was tonight’s speaker with the facts about Covid-19 in the area.  Dr. Ahmed began with a series of facts relating to past pandemics and advised members that Covid-19 was the largest outbreak experienced in the world with an estimated 34 million cases and over 1 million deaths.  The first case of Covid -19 in Essex County was identified on March 20, 2020, and the first death occurred on April 1.  The Health Unit began in January to set up a website to provide accurate information and to engage local hospitals, municipalities, politicians and community partners in what appeared to be a very serious epidemic, Dr. Ahmed went on to describe the various measures that were quickly taken; monitoring border crossing of health care workers, engaging the agricultural sector, working with groups of migrant workers, shutting down bars and restaurants for St. Patrick’s Day festivities (before the province acted), setting up drive-through testing in each municipality and a mandatory mask order in commercial establishments.  Windsor-Essex County was the second area in the province to order mandatory mask-wearing.  Local schools were closed in March.  Dr. Ahmed advised that the health unit also had to deal with issues of the politics of the pandemic as well as the misinformation re Covid-19 and the “loud voices” being heard.  There are currently 5 cases of Covid-19 in area hospitals; no-one is in ICU at this time. About 10% of the cases require hospitalization and of those 2.8% result in death. Dr. Ahmed stated that he is optimistic that the area is coping with the pandemic.  A question and answer period followed Dr. Ahmid’s presentation.
 
Tonight’s Rotary Minute called attention to Rotary’s involvement in Economic and Community Development.  800 million people in the world live on $1.90 a day.  Rotary provides micro-financing, agricultural opportunities; assists with human rights issues and provides training through the VTT initiative.