Five more people from the Simcoe-Muskoka region have died after contracting COVID-19 and eight people have been hospitalized since Friday, according to the latest update from the local health unit posted Jan. 24.
Three men over 79 years old from Muskoka District have died. All three cases were linked to outbreaks. Two of the men died on Jan. 20 and one died on Jan. 13.
A woman over 79 years old from Simcoe County died on Jan. 21. A woman between 65 and 79 years old, also from Simcoe County, died on Jan. 22. Both the cases were linked to outbreaks.
In the last six months, 24 fully vaccinated people, fewer than five partially vaccinated people, and 42 unvaccinated people from Simcoe-Muskoka have died after contracting COVID-19.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported 49 people from the region are hospitalized because of COVID-19, which includes eight new hospitalizations since Friday.
Since July 18, 2021, hospitalizations of Simcoe-Muskoka residents over 12 years old have included 92 fully vaccinated people, 14 partially vaccinated, and 177 unvaccinated people. Of those, 45 unvaccinated and 13 fully vaccinated people have been admitted to intensive care units.
While provincial testing guidelines prioritize testing for people living and working in high-risk congregate care settings and hospitalized patients, and test results are delayed by several days, the health unit is reporting 466 new cases today.
Among the cases reported today are 105 unvaccinated people, 11 partially vaccinated people, and 211 fully vaccinated people.
Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 30,217 cases of COVID-19 with 26,115 of those cases recovered and 322 cases ending in death.
About 14 per cent of the region's population over five years old is unvaccinated, and 43 per cent has three doses of a vaccine against COVID. Another 37 per cent of the population has two doses and about five per cent has five doses.
There are 91 active outbreaks in Simcoe-Muskoka, including 39 in institutional settings (hospitals, long-term care, retirement homes), 31 in congregate settings (group homes, shelters), and 12 at child-care centres.
