Two Clearview COVID cases among 44 reported in region today

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported 44 new cases of COVID-19 in the region today. 

The health unit has also confirmed the death of a Muskoka Region resident who tested positive for COVID-19. This is the second person from Muskoka to die after contracting COVID-19, and the 56th death in the region.

Included on the Dec. 14 list of new COVID-19 cases are two Clearview Township residents, 13 Barrie residents, seven Bradford residents, four Innisfil residents, four Midland residents, and two Orillia residents. 

The breakdown of cases provided by the health unit is as follows: 

• Clearview Township (2): one man between 65 and 79 years old and one woman over 80. Both cases under investigation.
• Barrie (13): A boy under 18, three women and two men between 18 and 34 years old, two men between 35 and 44 years old, and one man and four women between 45 and 64 years old. One case is linked to a workplace outbreak and another to an institutional outbreak. The rest are under investigation.
• Bradford West Gwillimbury (7): One girl under 18, a woman and a man between 18 and 34 years old, two women between 35 and 44 years old, a man between 65 and 79 years old, and a woman over 80 years old. Two cases are linked to close contact and five are under investigation. 
• Innisfil (4): Two men between 18 and 34 years old, and two women between 35 and 44 years old. The transmission source for one case is a institutional outbreak outside of the region. The rest are under investigation. 
• Orillia (2): One woman between 18 and 34 years old and one woman between 45 and 64 years old. Both cases are under investigation. 
• Midland (4): One woman between 18 and 34 years old, two men between 45 and 64 years old, and one woman over 80 whose case is linked to an institutional outbreak. The other case transmissions are under investigation.
• Penetanguishene (1):One woman over 80 years old whose case transmission is under investigation.
• Oro-Medonte (2): One woman between 65 and 79 years old and won man over 80. Both cases under investigation 
• Tiny (1): One man between 65 and 79 years old whose case is under investigation. 
• Three cases are listed with location information still pending and there is one new case in Gravenhurst and one in Huntsville. There are three new cases in New Tecumseth today.

The growth rate of infections in the region is 1.8 per cent based on cases confirmed between Dec. 6 to 12. If that growth rate continues, health unit projections indicate the region could see as many as 60 cases per day for the week of Jan. 3-9 (about 425 cases in a week). 

The local health unit has now confirmed 2,743 cases of COVID-19 with 2,277 of those cases recovered and 56 cases ending in death. There are approximately 400 active, lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region, with the majority of those in Simcoe County.

There are at least 14 people from Simcoe County hospitalized. 

There have been 2,627 cases confirmed in just Simcoe County, with 2,176 of those now recovered and 54 deaths.

*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