Health unit confirms 29 new COVID cases in Simcoe today

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has confirmed 29 new cases of COVID-19 in Simcoe County today. 

There are eight new cases in Barrie included in today's report, including a girl under 18 whose case is linked to an educational setting outbreak. Other cases reported from Barrie include a woman and three men between 18 and 34 years old, a woman and a man between 35 and 44 years old, and a man between 45 and 64 years old. Of those seven cases, one is community-acquired, five are close contact, and one is under investigation. 

The region's medical officer of health, Dr. Charles Gardner, confirmed a community outbreak at an unnamed Barrie hair salon involving three staff cases and two customer cases. The health unit reached out to 95 individuals to determine who would need to be in self-isolation, and Gardner noted anyone who was identified as a high-risk contact has been contacted by the health unit thanks to records kept by the salon. 

There is a COVID-19 outbreak declared at Waterford Retirement Community in Barrie where one resident has tested positive. Gardner said the individual was isolated and nobody had contact with the resident who was not wearing protective equipment.

The health unit has also declared outbreaks at Hillcrest Public School and at an unnamed child care centre in Barrie. There are two cases connected to the Hillcrest outbreak so far, and three cases were linked to the child care centre outbreak. The health unit has contacted everyone who was exposed. 

There are two manufacturing facilities in Barrie in outbreak, currently. One facility has three staff cases and the other has four staff cases. All employees have been tested for COVID-19. 

The health unit has reported six new cases in Bradford West Gwillimbury, all but one are still under investigation. There are two boys under 18 years old, a woman between 18 and 34 years old, a woman between 45 and 64 years old and a woman between 65 and 79 years old. A Bradford man between 45 and 64 years old has also tested positive and his case is linked to an institutional outbreak. 

The latest outbreak at Bradford Valley Care Community has been declared over. There is an outbreak ongoing at Bradford District High School where three cases have been reported and two classrooms closed. 

There are three new COVID cases in Innisfil including a man between 18 and 34 years old, a woman between 45 and 64 years old, and a man between 45 and 64 years old. The two male cases are under investigation and the woman's case is linked to close contact. 

There are nine new cases in New Tecumseth today, where there are two long-term care facilities still in active COVID-19 outbreak. The new cases include a boy and a girl under 18 years old, a woman and a man between 18 and 34 years old, and a woman and two men between 35 and 44 years old. There are two institutional outbreak-linked cases involving a woman over the age of 80 and a man between 65 and 79 years old. 

According to Dr. Gardner, one staff member at Riverwood Senior Living in Alliston has tested positive for COVID-19. Simcoe Manor long-term care home has been in outbreak since Sept. 29 and there have been 29 staff cases, 42 resident cases and 10 deaths reported at that facility. 

The remaining three cases reported by the health unit today include a Penetanguishene boy under 18, an Essa woman between 35 and 44 years old, and a man between 18 and 34 years old whose residence is listed as pending. All three cases are under investigation. 

In the local region, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported a total of 1,455 cases of COVID-19, with 1,374 of those in Simcoe County. There are 1,192 cases listed as recovered and 207 active cases in the region. Seven people are currently hospitalized. The health unit has recorded 50 deaths.

The incidence rate for Simcoe County is 260 cases per 100,000 people.

~ A Collingwood individual between 18 and 34 years old, a Barrie case and an Innisfil case have been removed from the list and assigned to a different health unit. 

*Incidence rate is number of cases per 100,000 people in the local population.

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