Four Collingwood residents among 58 new COVID cases reported in region today

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported 58 new COVID-19 cases and six deaths in the region in its update today (Feb. 4). 

The deaths reported today include one Clearview resident, one Orillia resident, two Penetanguishene residents, one Severn resident and a Simcoe County resident. 

All six deaths reported today are linked to ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks.

One woman over 80 from Roberta Place died Feb. 2. 

Two men between 65 and 79 years old and a man and a woman over 80 died after contracting COVID-19 during the outbreak at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care. Though all four deaths were reported today, two died on Jan. 30, one on Feb. 2, and one on Feb. 3. 

A woman over 80 years old whose case is linked to the outbreak at Trillium Manor died on Feb. 2.

Roberta Place long-term care home in Barrie has reported a total of 66 resident deaths during the outbreak confirmed to be the B.1.1.7 (UK) strain of COVID-19. Waypoint Centre has reported five patient deaths. 

According to the health unit, 91 local cases have tested positive for the COVID-19 variant of concern UK B.1.1.7 and an additional 60 cases have screened positive (awaiting confirmatory testing). 

As of yesterday, the province started screening all positive COVID-19 tests for variants of concern.

The new cases reported today include four Collingwood residents, two Wasaga Beach residents, 23 Barrie residents, seven Bradford West Gwillimbury residents, and eight Innisfil residents. 

Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 5,606 cases of COVID-19 with 4,471 of those cases recovered and 164 cases ending in death. There are 933 active, lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region, with the majority of those in Simcoe County. 

There are 39 people from Simcoe County, which includes five new hospitalizations reported since yesterday.

There have been 18,400 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine administered in Simcoe Muskoka to health care workers in local hospitals, long-term care and retirement homes, as well as to all eligible long-term care home residents. The health unit reports nearly 2,700 people in the region have received both required doses of the vaccine. 

The new cases reported in Simcoe County and Muskoka District today include: 

• Collingwood (4): Three men and a woman between 18 and 34 years old. One case is linked to close contact. 
• Wasaga Beach (2): A man between 18 and 34 years old, and a woman between 45 and 64 years old.
• Barrie (23): Five girls and a boy under 18, four women and four men between 18 and 34 years old, three women and two men between 35 and 44, one man between 45 and 64, and a woman and two men between 65 and 79. Fifteen cases are linked to close contact and two are outbreak-related.
• Springwater (2): A woman between 35 and 44 years old and a man between 45 and 64 years old. One case is outbreak-related. 
• Innisfil (8): A girl under 17, a woman and a man between 35 and 44 years old, a woman and two men between 45 and 64, a man between 65 and 79, and a man over 80. One case is linked to close contact, one is outbreak-related, and one was community-acquired.
• Bradford West Gwillimbury (7): A woman and a man between 18 and 34 years old, a woman and two men between 45 and 64 years old, a woman between 65 and 79 years old, and a woman over 80 whose case is outbreak-related. One case is linked to close contact. 
• Oro-Medonte (4): A woman and two men between 18 and 34 years old and a woman between 35 and 44 years old. Two cases are linked to close contact and one is outbreak-related.
• Ramara (1): A woman between 45 and 64 years old whose case was community-acquired.
• Penetanguishene (1): A man between 18 and 34 years old whose case is outbreak-related.
• Tay (3): A woman between 18 and 34 years old and two women between 45 and 64 years old. Two cases are outbreak-related.  
• Essa (1): A girl under 18 whose case is linked to close contact.
• New Tecumseth (2): A man between 35 and 44 years old whose case is travel-related, and a woman between 45 and 64 years old.

The health unit has also declared COVID outbreaks (all of which are still ongoing) at the following health care facilities: 

• Trillium Manor, Orillia, Dec. 14
• Grove Park Home (Aspen, Willow, Pine), Barrie, Jan. 4
• Roberta Place (Long-term care home), Barrie, Jan. 8
• Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (two units), Barrie, Jan. 9
• Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, Penetanguishene, Jan. 9
• Bradford Valley Care Community (facility-wide), Bradford, Jan. 14
• Kingsmere Retirement Living, Alliston, Jan. 20
• Muskoka Shores Care Community, Gravenhurst, Jan. 22
• Amica Little Lake retirement home, Barrie, Jan. 30. 
• Mill Creek Care Centre, Barrie, Jan. 31
• Georgian Manor (Willow), Penetanguishene, Feb. 1
• There is one outbreak at an unnamed child care centre in Barrie

The provincial government requires an outbreak be declared at a retirement or long-term care home where one staff or resident tests positive. There does not have to be evidence of spread within the home for an outbreak to be declared. In most other cases, the health unit does not declare an outbreak unless there is evidence of transmission at the facility. 

For more on the local trajectory of COVID-19 from the health unit, click here.

*Weekly incidence rate is number of cases per 100,000 people for the week of Jan. 24. If the number is not available, there have not been enough cases in that municipality for the week to publish a figure.

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

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