Health unit reports 4 more COVID deaths, 7 new hospitalizations

The latest COVID update from the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, published May 4, includes four deaths and seven new hospitalizations.

The deaths reported today include a man and a woman over 79 years old from Simcoe County who died on April 30 and 22 respectively; and a woman between 65 and 79 years old from Simcoe County who died on April 28.

A Muskoka man over 79 years old also died on April 30 after contracting COVID-19. 

Testing has captured 259 new COVID cases in the region since the last update on May 1. Because testing is not available to everyone, case counts are underestimated. 

There are 33 people from the region currently hospitalized because of COVID-19, including three people in the ICU. These totals do not include people who were hospitalized for other reasons and also test positive for COVID-19. 

Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 44,020 cases of COVID-19 with 42,309 of those cases recovered and 473 cases ending in death. 

Of the deaths reported by the health unit since March 2020, 414 were COVID-related, 47 deaths were not related to COVID-19 but the person tested positive, and for 12 of them, the cause of death is unknown or pending. 

Twenty-nine people from the region died in April after contracting COVID-19, which is up slightly from 25 deaths in March.

To date, 83 per cent of the population aged five years old and up are fully vaccinated with two or more doses, and 18 per cent of the region's total population (including children) is unvaccinated.

There are 39 active outbreaks in Simcoe-Muskoka, up from 34 outbreaks on April 27. The current active outbreaks include 20 in institutional settings (hospitals, long-term care, retirement homes), 16 in congregate settings (group homes, shelters), and three at child-care centres.

A list of outbreaks is available on the health unit website here.

According to monitoring of the region's hospitals by the health unit, about 68 per cent of the region's ICU beds are full and about 32 per cent of the ventilator beds are occupied. Acute care occupancy is highest with 91 per cent of the beds in the region currently full. 

Here's a look at the Ontario COVID update for May 4.

The Collingwood General and Marine Hospital is reporting as of May 4, there are seven COVID-positive inpatients at the hospital. This can include people admitted because of COVID and those hospitalized for other reasons who also test positive for COVID.