General News

Local health unit raises COVID-19 risk level to high

November 3, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) has raised the COVID-19 community risk level from moderate to high as the virus continues to circulate within the community.

This is the first time the risk level has increased since the rating system was launched in September.

“We are seeing a higher level of COVID-19 transmission in Simcoe-Muskoka, which means there is a greater risk of getting sick, with [the] potential for severe illness,” said Dr. Charles Gardner, SMDHU’s medical officer of health. “We encourage individuals to use more layers of protection when out in public, such as increasing [the] frequency of mask use and maintaining physical distance indoors. Getting your bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster is also strongly recommended as an added layer to protect against severe illness, and it is available across Simcoe-Muskoka.”

The Community Risk Level information is available on the health unit’s website. It is based on five indicators, including PCR test positivity, confirmed cases, hospitalizations, institutional outbreaks, and wastewater signals. These indicators are monitored weekly.

Together, these indicators create the current overall COVID-19 risk in the community and are reported as one of the following levels: lower, moderate, high, or very high. Each risk level is explained on the website and information is provided about personal and situational risks that individuals should consider and what actions they can take to protect themselves and others from spreading the virus.

The health unit suggests staying up to date with all recommended vaccinations, staying home when sick with any symptoms of COVID-19, and wearing a face mask when required.

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