35 COVID CASES IN SIMCOE — ONE IN HUNTSVILLE

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

MUSKOKA — A steep jump to 36 COVID cases in Simcoe and Muskoka today includes a large institutional outbreak at a retirement home in Beeton, where three people have died — one death confirmed due to the coronavirus.

And there’s one new case in Muskoka: a Huntsville woman, aged 45-64, who got it through community contact.

Eight of the 16 cases reported Oct. 7 at the retirement home in New Tecumseth were from Oct. 6.

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit posted its daily count at 2 p.m. today, which noted that 12 of the New Tecumseth cases were in people older than 80 — nine of them women.

In Barrie a female under 17 was diagnosed and in Innisfil to the south a man 65-79 has the virus through a workplace.

See the accompanying yellow health unit chart for more details.

Also today, Ontario reported 583 cases and Quebec 900 — a drop of more than 400 from Tuesday’s stunning high in the latter province.

All of this comes as Thanksgiving weekend approaches and people are urged to abandon the 10-person gathering rule and restrict dinners to only family members in the same home.

Simcoe Manor confirmed yesterday an institutional outbreak at the Beeton retirement home that drove up health unit numbers Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Oct. 7 health unit report, at 2 p.m. today, includes 36 cases in Simcoe-Muskoka of which 8 were from the day before.

Email mark@muskokatoday.com

Or news@muskokatoday.com

Celebrating 25 YEARS of ‘Local Online Journalism’

Follow us at Twitter @muskokatodaily

And on Facebook at mclairmont1

Leave your comments at end of story.

Letter to the Editor: news@muskokatoday.com

Subscribe for $25 at https://muskokatoday.com/subscriptions