COVID-19 continues to linger in the region with little change in case counts, deaths, and hospitalizations week-over-week.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit confirmed three more deaths and 11 new hospitalizations in its latest update.
All three of the latest deaths were Muskoka District residents, including a man between 45 and 64 years old, a man between 65 and 79 years old, and a woman over 79 years old. The woman died on July 28 and the men died on Aug. 28 and 29.
Twenty-two people in the region died in August after contracting COVID-19. There were 26 deaths reported in July.
There are 21 area residents currently hospitalized because of COVID-19.
Based on the latest health unit update, posted Sept. 8, there were 302 new COVID cases confirmed in Simcoe-Muskoka region since last week. There were 356 cases reported to the health unit during the week of Aug. 28, which is a one per cent increase over the 351 cases reported during the week of Aug. 21.
The seven-day moving average for new cases indicates there are about 40 new COVID cases per day in the region.
Case counts are underestimated as testing is limited.
The per cent positivity rate in the region is 12.8 per cent, indicating that current testing is not catching all of the COVID cases in the region. The health unit's goal is a per cent positivity of about one per cent or less to indicate good test coverage.
There are 28 active outbreaks in the region, including 24 at institutional settings like hospitals or long-term care homes, and four at congregate settings like group homes and shelters.
Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 50,055 cases of COVID-19, with 48,917 of those cases recovered and 560 cases ending in death.
Of the deaths reported by the health unit since March 2020, 476 were COVID-19-related, 76 deaths were not related to COVID-19 but the person tested positive, and for eight of them, the cause of death is unknown or pending.
To date, 83 per cent of the population aged five years old and up are fully vaccinated with two or more doses, and 18 per cent of the region’s total population (including children) is unvaccinated.
According to monitoring of the region’s hospitals by the health unit, 60 per cent of the region’s ICU beds are full and 23 per cent of the ventilator beds are occupied. Acute care occupancy is highest with 94 per cent of the beds in the region currently full.
Wastewater monitoring in Collingwood shows a decrease in COVID-19 virus DNA. Samples from Barrie, Orillia, Penetanguishene, and Midland shows COVID-19 virus DNA as present in each of the communities, but there's been no increase or decrease noted in the last week. Sampling from Bracebridge indicates an increase in the COVID-19 virus DNA in the community.
Anyone who has not yet received their COVID-19 vaccination or booster doses is encouraged to do so as soon as they are eligible. Information about eligibility and clinic locations is available at smdhu.org/GetVaccinated.
