The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit reported four deaths and eight new hospitalizations related to COVID since Friday in the latest update published Jan. 31.
The deaths reported today include a man and a woman over 79 years old from Simcoe County who died on Jan. 27 and 30. Both cases were linked to outbreaks.
A man between 65 and 79 years old, also from Simcoe County, died on Jan. 28 after contracting COVID-19. His case was not related to an outbreak.
A man over 79 years old from Muskoka is also included among the deaths reported today. The date of his death, however, was not reported. His case was outbreak-related.
The health unit reported 10 COVID-related deaths in all of December 2021. So far, there have been 53 deaths in the region during the month of January 2022.
There are at least 61 people from the region hospitalized because of COVID-19, which includes eight new hospitalizations since yesterday.
New hospitalizations have decreased over the last two weeks with 51 reported between Jan. 16 and 22, and 28 new hospitalizations reported during the week of Jan. 30 to 29.
Since July 18, 2021, hospitalizations of Simcoe-Muskoka residents over 12 years old have included 148 fully vaccinated people, 16 partially vaccinated, and 177 unvaccinated people. Of those, 45 unvaccinated, fewer than five partially vaccinated, and 17 fully vaccinated people have been admitted to intensive care units.
Available capacity at the region's hospitals is low with almost 92 per cent of acute care unit beds occupied, 55 per cent of ventilator beds, and nearly 74 per cent of intensive care unit beds occupied.
In the last six months, 45 fully vaccinated people (at least two doses) and fewer than five partially vaccinated have died after contracting COVID. Over the same time period, 37 unvaccinated people have died after contracting COVID-19.
While provincial testing guidelines prioritize testing for people living and working in high-risk congregate care settings and hospitalized patients, and test results are delayed by several days, the health unit is reporting 355 new cases today.
Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 31,708 cases of COVID-19 with 27,512 of those cases recovered and 344 cases ending in death.
About 14 per cent of the region's population over five years old is unvaccinated, and 45 per cent has three doses of a vaccine against COVID. Another 36 per cent of the population has two doses and about five per cent has one dose.
There are 69 active outbreaks in Simcoe-Muskoka, down from 73 on Friday, including 34 in institutional settings (hospitals, long-term care, retirement homes), 16 in congregate settings (group homes, shelters), and 19 at child care centres.
There are active outbreaks in four Collingwood long-term care/retirement homes. They are as follows:
- Bay Haven Care Community:
- one outbreak declared Jan. 11 has fewer than five staff cases and fewer than five resident cases.
- Balmoral Retirement Home
- one outbreak declared Jan. 17 with five resident cases and seven staff cases
- Georgian Traditions Retirement Home
- one outbreak declared Jan. 19 with fewer than five resident cases and zero staff cases
- Collingwood Nursing Home
- one outbreak declared Jan. 12 with eight staff cases and fewer than five resident cases
Grey-Bruce
On Jan. 30, the Grey Bruce Health Unit reported 32 new COVID cases confirmed through limited testing, with 14 people from the region currently hospitalized.
Since the start of the pandemic, 25 Grey Bruce residents have died in the region and another nine residents have died while receiving treatment outside the Grey Bruce region.
As of Jan. 28, lab testing confirmed 5,487 cases in Grey Bruce with 175 active cases remaining and 5,269 recoveries.
There are eight long-term care/retirement homes with active COVID outbreaks in the region including:
- Rockwood Terrace Long Term Care – Durham
- Errinrung Retirement Home - Thornbury
- Parkview Manor – Chesley
- Mapleview Long-Term Care Home – Owen Sound
- Summit Place – Owen Sound
- Season’s Owen Sound
- Lee Manor in Owen Sound
- Kelso Pines Retirement Home in Owen Sound
In Grey and Bruce Counties, about 49 per cent of the eligible population has received three or more doses of a COVID vaccine, and another 28 per cent of the eligible population has two doses of a vaccine. About 18 per cent of those eligible for a vaccine remain unvaccinated in the region.
