Health unit reports 21 new COVID cases in region today

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported 21 new COVID-19 cases today (Aug. 24).

Included in today's new cases are 10 unvaccinated individuals, five partially-vaccinated people, and six fully vaccinated people.

New cases reported today include: 

• Orillia (1): One person between 18 and 34 years old whose case is linked to close contact. 
• Wasaga Beach (2): Two people between 18 and 34 years old. One case is attributed to close contact and the other is under investigation. 
• Springwater (1): One person between 18-34 years old whose case transmission is under investigation. 
• Barrie (6): Six people between 18 and 34 years old. One case is linked to close contact and the other five are under investigaiton.
• Bradford (1): One youth under 18 years old whose case is still under investigation. 
• Innisfil (1): One person between 35 and 44 years old whose case is still under investigation. 
• Tay (2): One person between 18 and 34 years old and one person between 45 and 64 years old. One case is listed as community-acquired (no known link) and one is linked to close contact. These are the first cases reported in Tay since June 24.
• Tiny (1): One person between 18 and 34 years old whose case is linked to close contact. 
• Essa (1): One person between 45. and 64 years old whose case is still under investigation. 
• New Tecumseth (5): Three people between 18 and 34 years old and two people between 45 and 64 years old. Two cases are linked to close contact and the rest are still under investigation.  

There are currently 165 active cases in the region.

There were 128 new cases confirmed last week, which is up by 29 per cent compared to 99 cases during the week of Aug. 15.

Six people from Simcoe County are hospitalized with COVID-19, which includes four new hospitalizations reported today. Two people are in the intensive care unit, and the ages of those hospitalized ranges from under 10 to in their 60s.

The health unit has confirmed 5,256 of the region's cases were variant strains. There are 76 lab-confirmed variant cases still active.

According to the health unit, 100 per cent of the new cases reported over the last week were variants of concern and more than 90 per cent were the delta variant.

The variant case breakdown includes: 

• 4,007 alpha cases,
• 167 gamma cases, 
• 34 beta cases,
• 377 delta cases,
• and 671 cases have screened positive and are awaiting further testing.

Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 12,683 cases of COVID-19 with 12,262 of those cases recovered and 256 cases ending in death.

According to the health unit, 73 per cent of the population 12 years and older living in Simcoe-Muskoka have received both doses of vaccine and another eight per cent have had their first vaccine dose. The remaining 19 per cent is unvaccinated.

Approximately 29 per cent of the total population of Simcoe-Muskoka (including children) is unvaccinated and 62 per cent is fully vaccinated. 

For more on the vaccination status of Simcoe-Muskoka cases and hospitalizations, click here.

Anyone born in 2009 or earlier living in Simcoe-Muskoka region can book their first or second dose of vaccine online via Ontario vaccine booking system. More appointments are added regularly for clinics throughout the region.

The health unit does sometimes remove a case or move them based on further investigation of location data. The chart below reflects updated totals for each municipality as reported by the health unit on Aug. 24.

******

*Cumulative incidence rate is the number of cases per 100,000 people reported to date

**Total cases include the number of cases currently recovering at home as well as any that have recovered, died, or are in hospital