TWO MORE MUSKOKA CASES TODAY AMONG 272 THIS WEEK

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — As Canada today approved a Pfizer vaccine to begin distribution possibly next week, local cases jumped to 61.

They include another man and woman from Gravenhurst and Muskoka Lakes, respectively.

The man, aged 35-64, contracted it through close contact; and the woman, who is between ages of 45 and 64, is under investigation as to the cause.

Once again most of the cases Wednesday Dec. 9 are under investigation.

Dr. Charles Gardner, Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit’s medical officer of health, said yesterday they continue to struggle with contact tracing staffing to decipher causes for the positive diagnoses.

The latest figures here contribute further to fears that the region is headed straight for the red lockdown zone.

Gardner said a trajectory of an average of 64 cases a week would see 450 the last week of December into January.

In the first three days of this week there are now 272 more people testing positive for the coronavirus.

Across Ontario, 28 people died and 1,890 received positive tests; 517 in Toronto; 471 in Peel and 187 in York.

In Quebec it was 1,728 cases and 37 people dying.

Manitoba saw 18 deaths and 280 COVID cases.

NOTES:

Canada’s largest inoculation since the Second World War could begin next week after Health Canada became of the first countries in the world to approve the Pfizer vaccine — even before the United States.

The vaccine is coming from Belgium and will take 36 hours, before being kept in deep freeze and then being thawed out before vaccinations

Alberta is calling for Christmas and holiday gathering to be as small as physically possible.

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