The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported 24 new COVID-19 cases in its latest update posted Oct. 21.
Included in the new cases are 16 unvaccinated and eight fully vaccinated people.
According to the region's medical officer of health, Dr. Charles Gardner, 18 per cent of the cases reported this week occurred in children under 12 years old who are not yet eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Two weeks ago, 30 per cent of the region's cases were in children under 12.
About 19 per cent of the region's cases are considered community-acquired, which means there is no known link.
All cases confirmed in the region are caused by the delta variant strain of COVID-19.
The new cases reported in the region today are as follows:
- Clearview (1): One youth under 18 years old whose case is outbreak-related.
- Barrie (12): Six youth under 18 years old, three people between 18 and 34 years old, two people between 35 and 44 years old, and one person between 45 and 64 years old. Four cases are linked to close contact transmission, one was listed as community-acquired (no known link) and seven are still under investigation.
- Innisfil (8): Two youth under 18 years old, three people between 35 and 44 years old, and three people between 45 and 64 years old. One case is outbreak-related, two are linked to travel, one is listed as community-acquired (no known link) and one is linked to close contact transmission. Two cases are still under investigation.
- New Tecumseth (1): One person between 18 and. 34years old whose case is listed. ascommunity-acquired (no known link).
- Muskoka District (2): One in Gravenhurst and one in Lake of Bays.
There are currently 145 active cases in the region.
Nine people from Simcoe County are hospitalized with COVID-19, they range in age from their 20s to their 70s. As of yesterday, there were four people in the intensive care unit, three of whom were fully vaccinated.
Four of the hospitalized cases were fully vaccinated and four are unvaccinated. The vaccination status for the newest hospitalization has not been reported.
Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 13,859 cases of COVID-19 with 13,438 of those cases recovered and 262 cases ending in death.
According to the health unit, 71.9 per cent of the population living in Simcoe-Muskoka (including children) have received both doses of vaccine and 75.8 per cent have had at least one dose of a vaccine.
The health unit reported the rate of infection in unvaccinated individuals who are eligible for a vaccine is 10 times higher than it is for someone who is fully vaccinated. The rate of hospitalization is 23 times higher for unvaccinated people compared to vaccinated. Those observations are based on data collected between Aug. 22 and Oct. 16.
For more on the vaccination status of Simcoe-Muskoka cases, 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.
School outbreaks
There are two active outbreaks in schools in Simcoe County.
An outbreak has been declared at Holy Cross Public School in Innisfil as of Oct. 15. There are 19 cases associated with the outbreak.
St. Marie of the Incarnation elementary school in Bradford has been in outbreak since Oct. 1, and there are 21 cases associated with the outbreak.
The outbreak at Orchard Park Elementary School in Orillia has been declared over as of Oct. 21. There were 10 cases associated with the outbreak.
Breakdown by municipality
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 Oct. 21.
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| Municipality | Total cases** | Recoveries | Deaths | In Hospital | Last case reported | Cumulative incidence rate* | % of 12+ pop. with two doses of vaccine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adj-Tosorontio | 225 | 221 | 2 | 1 | Oct. 17 | 1,898 | 65.5% |
| Barrie | 4,569 | 4,391 | 124 | 3 | Oct. 20 | 2,978 | 82% |
| Bradford W-G | 2,249 | 2,204 | 38 | Oct. 16 | 5,152 | 79.4% | |
| Clearview | 150 | 140 | 5 | Oct. 20 | 998 | 74.6% | |
| Collingwood | 280 | 271 | 3 | 1 | Oct. 18 | 1,135 | 90.3% |
| Essa | 558 | 549 | 5 | Oct. 19 | 2,315 | 84.7% | |
| Innisfil | 1,364 | 1,319 | 19 | Oct. 20 | 3,308 | 75.5% | |
| Midland | 218 | 212 | 6 | Sept. 26 | 1,191 | 85.4% | |
| New Tecumseth | 1,658 | 1,632 | 18 | 1 | Oct. 20 | 3,916 | 78.6% |
| Orillia | 368 | 357 | 8 | Oct. 15 | 1,089 | 88.6% | |
| Oro-Medonte | 258 | 244 | 5 | 2 | Oct. 19 | 1,106 | 92.7% |
| Penetanguishene | 223 | 204 | 8 | Oct. 19 | 2,314 | 88.2% | |
| Ramara | 127 | 126 | 1 | Oct. 5 | 1,215 | 68.4% | |
| Severn | 92 | 88 | 3 | 1 | Oct. 9 | 620 | 63.6% |
| Springwater | 318 | 313 | 2 | Oct. 17 | 1,484 | 89% | |
| Tay | 132 | 129 | 3 | Sept. 24 | 1,177 | 88.6% | |
| Tiny | 151 | 146 | 2 | Oct. 19 | 1,125 | 75.7% | |
| Wasaga Beach | 314 | 306 | 5 | Oct. 17 | 1,325 | 83.2% |
~Fully-vaccinated means an individual whose second dose was 14 or more days before the onset of COVID-19 symptoms.
*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
