68 Barrie residents among 129 new COVID cases in region since Friday

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported 129 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths in the region since Friday.

All 11 deaths were Barrie residents and include seven women over 80 from Roberta Place, two men over 80 and one man between 65 and 79 years old from Roberta Place, and a woman between 65 and 79 years old whose case was not linked to Roberta Place. 

According to the health unit, 19 local cases have tested positive for the COVID-19 variant of concern UK B.1.1.7 and an additional 126 cases have screened positive (awaiting confirmatory testing).

The new cases reported today include 68 Barrie residents, 10 Bradford West Gwillimbury residents, 10 Innisfil residents, four Orillia residents, and one Collingwood resident. 

Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 5,484 cases of COVID-19 with 4,167 of those cases recovered and 150 cases ending in death. There are 1,136 active, lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region, with the majority of those in Simcoe County. 

There are 38 people from Simcoe County and one person from Muskoka is hospitalized, which includes six new hospitalization reported since Friday.

There have been 16,501 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. The health unit reports 977 people in the region have received both required doses of the vaccine. 

The new cases reported in Simcoe County and Muskoka District today include: 

• Collingwood (1): A man between 18 and 34 years old.
• Clearview (2): A man between 18 and 34 years old. 
• Wasaga Beach (3): A girl under 18 years old and a man and a woman between 45 and 64 years old. 
• Barrie (68): Three boys and 11 girls under 18 years old, 10 women and 14 men between 18 and 34, four women and one individual between 35 and 44, seven women and 12 men between 45 and 64, three men and two women between 65 and 79, and one man over 80. Twelve cases are outbreak-related, 21 are linked to close contact, and one was community-acquired. 
• Springwater (3): Aa woman between 35 and 44 years old and a woman and a man between 45 and 64 years old. One case was community-acquired.
• Innisfil (10): A girl under 18, two women and three men between 18 and 34 years old, two men and a woman between 45 and 64, a woman between 65 and 79 years old. Two cases are linked to close contact, one was community-acquired, and two are outbreak-related.
• Bradford West Gwillimbury (10): Three women and a man between 18 and 34 years old, two women between 35 and 44, a man between 45 and 64, a woman between 64 and 79, and two women over 80. Three cases are outbreak-related, one was community-acquired, and one is linked to close contact. 
• Orillia (4): A boy under 18 years old, a man between 18 and 34, a man between 35 and 44, and a woman over 80. One case was community-acquired and one is linked to close contact.
• Oro-Medonte (4): A boy under 18 and a man and two woman between 45 and 64 years old. One case is linked to close contact.
• Penetanguishene (2): A man between 18 and 34 years old, and a man over 80. One case is outbreak-related. 
• Tay (1): A woman between 35 and 44 years old. 
• Tiny (1): A woman between 45 and 64 years old. 
• Severn (2): A man and a woman between 65 and 79 years old. One case is outbreak-related and one is linked to close contact. 
• Essa (6): A girl and a boy under 18 years old, a woman between 18 and 34, a  woman between 35 and 44, and a woman and a man between 45 and 64. 
• New Tecumseth (7): Two women between 18 and 34 years old, a man between 35 and 44 years old,  a woman between 45 and 64 years old, a man and a woman between 64 and 79 years old, and a man over 80. One case is outbreak-related.
• Adjala-Tosorontio (3): A woman and a man between 18 and 34 years old, and a man between 45 and 64 years old. One case is outbreak-related.
• Three cases are included with location information pending. 

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, 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
• Amica Little Lake retirement home, Barrie, Jan. 30 
• Mill Creek Care Centre, Barrie, Jan. 31
• There are outbreaks at two child care centres, one in Barrie and one in Wasaga Beach

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.

*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