Outbreak Declared At Essex Windsor EMS Facility

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The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at an Essex-Windsor EMS facility.

Officials say there was no interaction between paramedics and patients or the public and the employees who tested positive for COVID-19 at the facility are recovering at home.

Essex Windsor EMS hasn’t said which facility the outbreak is at.

They say ten paramedics have also separately tested positive for COVID-19 and these cases are not linked to exposure in the workplace, but were the result of community transmission.

Officials reiterated that there is absolutely no evidence of patient-to-paramedic or paramedic-to-patient transmission of the virus.

They say all Essex-Windsor EMS facilities are now subject to heightened cleaning and disinfection practices.

“No paramedic contracted COVID-19 during the first wave in the spring and these recent positives should serve as a stark warning to Windsor-Essex residents that COVID-19 is everywhere in our community and that public health measures should be strictly followed,” said Essex-Windsor EMS Chief Bruce Krauter.

“We need to treat every single person we meet as though they are infected with COVID-19 because community transmission is rampant, and we also need to take individual precautions because any of us could unwittingly be carrying and spreading this deadly virus,” said Krauter. “We need everyone to do their part to keep our healthcare system from being overwhelmed. Please, limit your contacts and avoid non-essential trips. Wash your hands and wear a mask. We all need to make smart and selfless decisions to keep ourselves, our families and our community safe and to support those working on the front lines.”

Officials say residents should have every confidence in knowing that if they require urgent pre-hospital emergency care, they can call 911 and be treated safely by paramedics.