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Testing captures 1,166 new COVID cases in region, 2 deaths reported

Three people have been hospitalized for COVID-19 since the health unit's last report Friday
2021-12-07 Health unit Sperling RB 1
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit offices are located on Sperling Drive in Barrie.

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported two deaths and three new hospitalizations in its latest report (Jan. 17) the first since Friday. 

The two deaths reported today were both women between 65 and 79 years old from Simcoe County. One woman's case was outbreak-related and she died on Jan. 9. The other case was sporadic and she died on Jan. 12.

There are approximately 28 Simcoe-Muskoka residents hospitalized for COVID-19. Area hospitals, however, may also accept patients from outside of the region. 

While provincial testing guidelines prioritize testing for people living and working in high-risk congregate care settings and hospitalized patients, the testing that is occurring has captured 1,166 new cases in the region since Jan. 14.

Locally, about 20 per cent of the people who were tested for COVID received a positive result. The health unit's goal is for this rate (per cent positivity) to be at one per cent, which would indicate the amount of testing that is occurring is enough to catch most of the COVID transmission happening in the community. 

Among the cases reported today are 160 unvaccinated people, 55 partially vaccinated, and 750 fully vaccinated. 

The health unit is reporting cases within the region, but is not providing further breakdowns on the primary residence municipality of the people who test positive. 

About 37 per cent of the total population of Simcoe-Muskoka region (including children too young to get the vaccine) now has three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, 38 per cent has two doses, five per cent has one dose, and 19 per cent have no doses of a COVID vaccine.

Since July 18, 2021, COVID hospitalizations in the region have included 155 unvaccinated people, 14 partially vaccinated people and 63 fully vaccinated people. 

In the same time frame, COVID-related ICU admissions have included 42 unvaccinated people and ten fully vaccinated people. 

Since July, the deaths reported by the health unit include 26 people who were unvaccinated and 16 were fully vaccinated. 

Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 28,567 cases of COVID-19 with 18,813 of those cases recovered and 298 cases ending in death. 


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Erika Engel

About the Author: Erika Engel

Erika regularly covers all things news in Collingwood as a reporter and editor. She has 15 years of experience as a local journalist
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