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24YearOld Migrant Worker in Critical Care at WRH due to COVID19

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am800-news-covid-19-windsor-essex
Erie Shores Health Care, EssexWindsor EMS and WRH took six migrant workers to hospital from boarding houses this week

A migrant worker in Essex County is in critical condition after contracting COVID-19, and he's only 24 years old.

After a migrant worker in his 30's died from COVID-19 over the weekend, Erie Shores Health Care and Windsor Regional Hospital put in a request to enter homes and hotels that house workers who tested positive for the virus.

The Windsor-Essex County Public Health Unit granted authority to do medical checks on those workers — get an idea what's going on — and see if they need to be taken to hospital for treatment.

Five people positive for COVID-19 wound up being taken to Erie Shores Health Care, but WRH President and CEO David Musyj says a sixth worker, a the 24-year-old from Mexico, was taken to Windsor.

"He's is not doing well and is now in critical care. He's COVID-19 positive and he's being cared for by the team here," he says.

Musyj tells AM800 News he was taken from a facility similar to where the 31-year-old worker had died from the virus.

"He came from one of the hotels where he was placed after he contracted COVID-19," says Musyj.

He says Erie Shores Health Care is taking the lead with the help of Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Services with WRH's help.

Musyj says the goal moving forward is to regularly check migrant worker sites where COVID-19 is present.

"Regular check-ups with the migrant workers as well as requesting additional swabbing to occur in the population," he added.

On May 29, Justice for Migrant workers issued an open letter to health units across the province warning pour conditions and inadequate physical distancing would result in more COVID-19 cases.

The migrant worker in his 30's  infected with COVID-19 died just days after AM800 ran the story.

— with files from AM800's Rob Hindi.