BARRIE, ONT. For a second straight week, Simcoe Muskoka reported a slight uptick in COVID-19 case counts. According to the health unit, there were 23 infections logged this week, matching the number of cases last week - a 44 per cent increase over the week of July 11, where there were 16 cases. On Friday, eight new cases were logged in Georgian Bay (3), Clearview (2), Wasaga Beach (1), Barrie (1), and Bradford (1). Dr. Colin Lee said the jump in positive tests was expected with more lenient restrictions in Step 3 of Ontario s reopening plan. There are just more people getting physically closer to each other and to different people, and that, of course, allows the virus to potentially jump from an infected person to someone who isn t, explained Simcoe Muskoka s associate medical officer of health.
The latest infections are listed in Barrie (3), Wasaga Beach (2), and Georgian Bay (1). Five of the cases are currently under investigation as public health tries to track down how each infected resident contracted the virus. One case in Wasaga Beach was community-acquired. The positivity rate in Simcoe County sits at 0.4 per cent and 0 per cent in Muskoka compared to the provincial positivity rate of 0.9 per cent. COVID-19 testing rates have stabilized to low levels not posted since last summer. Still, experts caution things can change dramatically in the fall as temperatures dip. The expectation is the unvaccinated population will be most at risk and could spark a fourth wave.
BARRIE, ONT. The Simcoe Muskoka health unit says six residents tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. The new cases are among residents in Barrie (2), Bradford (2), Clearview (1), And Severn (1). Two cases were confirmed to be community-acquired, while the rest are under investigation. The region s top doctor is encouraging eligible residents to get two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. We still have a substantial proportion of our population that is unvaccinated, Dr. Charles Gardner said during a COVID-19 update on Tuesday. Gardner added that only 54 per cent of people 12 and older were fully vaccinated. BACK TO SCHOOL The push is on to get those 12 and older both shots of the vaccine, as experts predict there will be a rise in COVID-19 cases in the fall as temperatures cool and schools reopen.
BARRIE, ONT. As COVID-19 vaccination rates increase across Simcoe Muskoka, the health unit plans to close mass immunization clinics. The mass clinics, which have been open since December 2020, are scheduled to close in late August. The health unit said anyone with a vaccine appointment booked after Aug. 27 would be notified and encouraged to move up their appointments or attend a walk-in clinic. Although mass immunization clinics will close by the end of August, COVID-19 vaccines will still be widely available to eligible individuals through other avenues, such as community pharmacies, health care providers and other pop-up clinic opportunities that will continue after August, said Dr. Charles Gardner.
COVID-19 News: Simcoe Muskoka health unit to close mass immunization clinics barrie.ctvnews.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from barrie.ctvnews.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.