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New cases of COVID-19 are levelling out in community: Health Unit

September 23, 2021   ·   0 Comments

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that cases of COVID-19 have levelled off in the region.  

This is keeping with the trend across the province.  

The news also comes with a warning that with approaching colder weather that will keep people indoors as well as the opening of schools, the possibility of transmission will increase.  

As of September 15, there were 250 active cases of COVID in the region – that’s up by five as reported in the previous week.  

No deaths from the virus were reported in September.  

There are currently 13 residents who are in hospital with six in an intensive care unit. Those patients include people ranging in age from their 20s to 70s.  

Of those in intensive care units, none had been immunized.  

“The provincial rate is presently 34 cases per 100,000 population,” said Dr. Charles Gardner, Medical Officer of Health for Simcoe Muskoka, during a media briefing last week. “We’re slightly lower than the provincial incident of cases. I did note last week that being close to the provincial incidents of cases is new for us. We’ve mostly been at around half the incidents of the provincial rate.” 

Dr. Gardner said that more children under the age of 12, have contracted the virus, noting that children under the age of 12 cannot be immunized. 

“100 per cent of our cases in the past week were due to the Delta variant,” Dr. Gardner said. “This is in keeping with what is happening across the province.” 

There were five outbreaks over the week. This includes outbreaks at a fitness facility, a recreation and amusement location, a construction site, and a retail and trade centre.  

There has been an increase in the number of people getting their first COVID vaccination around the region. Data shows that people who are not vaccinated are 11 times more likely to contract the virus compare to those who are fully immunized and 37 times more likely to be admitted to hospital.  

When asked if provincial guidelines regarding businesses or organizations that may require proof of immunization could be considered discriminatory, Dr. Gardner responded that the measures are necessary. 

“We are responding to the pandemic of the century,” Dr. Gardner said. “We know that getting a very high immunization rate is necessary to control the pandemic, to control what could otherwise be a very severe wave of COVID-19 with the Delta variant that’s much more transmissible.”

“We think it is important for the protection of those work environments for the people that are there and for the patrons as well, that there be in place vaccination policies that heavily encourage vaccinations for those that work there while also recognizing the human rights code and recognizing the need to accommodate those with medical exemptions,” he added.

By Brian Lockhart
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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