NO MUSKOKA CASES, BUT DEADLY OUTBREAK IN BARRIE CONTINUES

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSOKA — A Barrie LTC outbreak of 87 confirmed and unconfirmed reports among staff and residents contributed to today’s COVID count to 79.

None of which are in Muskoka in Tuesday Jan. 19 reporting.

However 16 new deaths have been reported the past week, including 13 at long-term care residents, including at Roberta Place in Barrie where the outbreak began Jan. 8.

And after completing vaccinations to 40 per cent of staff and 90 per cent of all LTC residents Saturday, Dr. Charles Gardner says the “bad news” about a few Pfizer vaccines being available threatens current plans inject residents in retirement homes.

He said Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit will now have to “take stock” and get more information from the province about how to proceed.

Even with shortages of the vaccine 13,317 injections have been provided, including 430 yesterday.

But what now? Will people get a second dose before those who in line for their first?

Gardner told media this afternoon that the province urges those who got the first vaccine to get the second, so that is SMDHU’s plan.

As well, they’ve now learned that getting the second dose can be done up to 42 days after the first, instead of the original plan of 21 to 27 days.

He said those who got the first dose are being re-booked to 40 days.

He did say that getting the first dose still provides about 85 per cent effectiveness.

However, he added that those who have had COVID won’t get the vaccine until later due to limited supply.

Meanwhile, the health unit’s “worst outbreak” of the pandemic continues — at Roberta Place — to consume much of the its resources, after Gardener said they have confirmed 65 cases and 22 that unconfirmed cases.

And Gardner considered the “option” of calling in support from the military including at Base Borden, which reached out to offer help. But that would be the province’s call, through the federal government.

He said four residents have been moved to RVH for treatment, where a second outbreak was declared yesterday in its transitional care unit. This follows an earlier on Jan. 9 in its stroke recovery unit.

Gardner said it’s been a “ real coming together” of community agency health care providers to cope, especially under the leadership of Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital in Orillia, with the aid of RVH, the Red Cross and health care students from Georgian College volunteering to help.

He said 21 of 140 resident have since gotten the vaccine (about 15 per cent) and 46 per cent of staff as of this afternoon.

In addition, fears the outbreak may be a strain of the U.K. virus have led to testing at a national lab, which won’t be back for another week.

The 4,834 total cases reported today are an increase of 472 over last Tuesday and Gardner said that’s the lowest in 10 weeks.

He “expressed caution” in reading too much into the latest numbers, though he “hopes it’s a trend.”

Gardner added their 37 people in hospital aged in their 30s to 90s, including 4 in ICU.

And that the number of cases per 100,000 population is down to 75.7 per cent, compared to 83.3 per cent last week.

He noted that Bradford-West Gwillimbury is now down to 180 cases per 100,000 population after last week being as high as 228 per cent.

Barrie, meanwhile, is at 124 cases per 100,000.

Gardner said he was “happy and proud” to report that 4,484 LTC residents and staff have now gotten the vaccine, including 538 with the second injection.

And that 5,148 staff and patients in hospitals and care facilities have received their first doses.

Meanwhile, testing (down province-wide to 34,531 swabs yesterday) positivity is down to 2.8 per cent now after being 3.5 per cent last week. The preferred goal is 2.0 per cent.

Another troubling trend is that only 76 per cent of people who test positive locally are being contacted within one day, while the goal there is 90 per cent.

SMDHU NOTES:

• Gardner said he’s heard some front-line health-care workers — who he called “heroes” — are experiencing “fear of discrimination” from people who see them as too close to COVID.
• He said it’s “important to support” the workers.
• There have been more than 13,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine administered in Simcoe Muskoka, mainly to health care workers in local hospitals, long-term care and retirement homes. This includes over 577 individuals that have received both of the required doses of the vaccine.
• In addition, 2,845 (or 89 per cent) long-term care residents have received their first dose.
• There have been 126 new cases reported to the health unit for the current week.
• There were 450 new cases reported to the health unit last week (week of Jan. 10), lower than the 495 cases reported for the week of Jan. 3.

IN OTHER COVID NEWS TODAY:

• Snowmobile trails and tobogganing has been banned by the North Bay Parry Sound Health Unit in their area, but not Muskoka, says Gardner. Ban doesn’t apply to rest of province.
• Ontario saw a significant drop in cases to 1,913, but 46 deaths.
• Quebec’s cases count was also down to 1,386 with 55 more dead.
• Manitoba had 11 deaths and 111 cases. And their premier Brian Pallister (along with his PEI counterpart Dennis King) wants to scale back on restrictions.
• Newfoundland and Labrador had no new cases.
• PEI and Manitoba want
• Toronto reported only 550 cases due to technical problems.
• York saw 235 cases and Peel 346.
• Prime Minister Trudeau may put a halt to international travel.

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