The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported 40 new COVID-19 cases in the region today and three deaths.
The deaths reported today include a man and woman over 80 whose cases are linked to the outbreak at Roberta Place long-term care. Both died on Jan. 26. A woman over 80 whose case is linked to the outbreak at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre died on Jan. 25. All three were Barrie residents.
Roberta Place has reported the deaths of 46 residents and one essential caregiver, all of whom contracted COVID during the outbreak at the Barrie facility. According to lab testing, the current outbreak was caused by the UK variant (B117) strain of COVID-19, which is 50 to 70 per cent more transmissible than the original COVID strain.
The new cases reported today include 24 Barrie residents, three Bradford West Gwillimbury residents, three Innisfil residents, and one Orillia resident.
Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 5,242 cases of COVID-19 with 3,925 of those cases recovered and 134 cases ending in death. There are 1,151 active, lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region, with the majority of those in Simcoe County.
There are 37 people from Simcoe County hospitalized, which includes five new hospitalizations reported today.
There have been 15,759 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. There were 394 doses given yesterday.
The new cases reported in Simcoe County and Muskoka District today include:
- Orillia (1): A man over 80 years old.
- Barrie (24): Five women, five men and an individual between 18 and 34 years old, three women and two men between 35 and 44 years old, three women and a man between 45 and 64 years old, a man and a woman between 65 and 79 years old and two women over 80. Six cases are outbreak-related, one is community-acquired, and five are linked to close contact.
- Springwater (1): A man between 35 and 44 years old.
- Innisfil (3): A woman between 18 and 34 years old, a woman between 35 and 44 years old, and a man between 45 and 64 years old. One case is outbreak-related.
- Bradford West Gwillimbury (3): A woman between 18 and 34 years old, a woman between 35 and 44 years old, and a woman between 45 and 64 years old.
- Penetanguishene (1): A man between 65 and 79 years old whose case is outbreak-related.
- Essa (2): A man between 18 and 34 years old and a man between 45 and 64 years old whose case is linked to close contact.
- New Tecumseth (5): A man between 18 and 34 years old, two women between 65 and 79 years old, and two people between 35 and 44 years old. One case is community-acquired.
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), 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 (Awenda A&B), Penetanguishene, Jan. 9
- Bradford Valley Care Community (facility-wide), Bradford, Jan. 14
- IOOF (Baldwin Lane, Kempenfelt Court), Barrie, Jan. 15
- The Pines Long Term Care Residence, Bracebridge, Jan. 20
- Kingsmere Retirement Living, Alliston, Jan. 20
- Muskoka Shores Care Community, Gravenhurst, Jan. 22
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.
| Municipality | Total cases** | Recoveries | Deaths | In Hospital | Last case reported to health unit | Weekly Incidence Rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrie | 1,662 | 1,122 | 66 | 15 | Jan. 26 | 152 |
| Bradford W-G | 841 | 658 | 18 | 6 | Jan. 26 | 114 |
| New Tecumseth | 717 | 569 | 15 | 2 | Jan. 26 | 104 |
| Innisfil | 456 | 352 | 2 | 5 | Jan. 26 | 123 |
| Orillia | 137 | 89 | 6 | Jan. 26 | 39 | |
| Collingwood | 102 | 83 | 1 | 1 | Jan. 25 | Not available |
| Wasaga Beach | 121 | 98 | 2 | 2 | Jan. 23 | Not available |
| Clearview | 61 | 52 | 2 | Jan. 25 | Not available | |
| Springwater | 153 | 117 | 1 | Jan. 26 | 33 | |
| Midland | 118 | 85 | 6 | 1 | Jan. 23 | 28 |
| Oro-Medonte | 96 | 73 | 4 | Jan. 24 | 26 | |
| Adjala-Tosorontio | 87 | 69 | Jan. 23 | 52 | ||
| Essa | 227 | 188 | 2 | 1 | Jan. 26 | 59 |
| Ramara | 51 | 46 | Jan. 16 | Not available | ||
| Tiny | 46 | 34 | 1 | 2 | Jan. 19 | Not available |
| Tay | 65 | 55 | 2 | 2 | Jan. 23 | Not available |
| Penetanguishene | 77 | 47 | 3 | Jan. 26 | Not available | |
| Severn | 39 | 30 | Jan. 21 | Not available |
*Incidence rate is number of cases per 100,000 people for the week of Jan. 17. If the number is not available, there have not been enough cases in that municipality for the week to publish a figure.
**Total cases includes the number of cases currently recovering at home as well as any that have recovered, died, or are in hospital