The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting 11 more people hospitalized with COVID-19, but no new deaths according to the most recent update on June 28.
There are 22 people from the region hospitalized because of COVID-19.
Testing has captured 233 new COVID-19 cases in the region since the last update on June 21. Because testing is not available to everyone, case counts are underestimated.
Case counts have risen by 15 per cent over the last two weeks with 221 new cases reported the week of June 19 and 192 cases reported the week of June 12. There were seven new hospitalizations reported the week of June 12, and 11 reported the week of June 19.
According to the health unit, the rate of hospitalization for COVID-19 among the unvaccinated population (aged 12 and older) is three times higher than it is for the vaccinated population, and five times higher for ICU admissions. Death rates among the unvaccinated are three times higher than they are for vaccinated populations.
Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 46,425 cases of COVID-19, with 45,622 of those cases recovered and 501 cases ending in death.
Of the deaths reported by the health unit since March 2020, 432 were COVID-19-related, 59 deaths were not related to COVID-19 but the person tested positive, and for 10 of them, the cause of death is unknown or pending.
The health unit reported 30 COVID deaths in April, 22 deaths in May, and five deaths so far in June.
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.
According to monitoring of the region’s hospitals by the health unit, 58 per cent of the region’s ICU beds are full and 19 per cent of the ventilator beds are occupied. Acute care occupancy is highest with 86 per cent of the beds in the region currently full.
Wastewater monitoring in Collingwood, Barrie, Orillia, Penetanguishene, and Midland shows COVID-19 virus DNA as present in each of the communities, but there's been no increase or decrease noted in the last week.
