20 CASES SUNDAY — BUT SIMCOE-MUSKOKA HAS ‘MOST VARIANTS IN ONTARIO’
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Cases may be down to just 20 Sunday, reports the province, but a rise in variants is behind tomorrow’s return to stay-at-home orders says the health unit.
Simcoe-Muskoka has the “highest number of variants of concern (VOCs) in Ontario.”
The province reported 1,062 cases (20 deaths) — down from 1,185 Saturday and 1,258 Friday.
Toronto saw 331 cases, Peel 220 and York 86.
North Bay-Parry Sound had no new cases.
The local region’s return to ‘Grey-Lockdown’ Monday, March 1, is a short-term “emergency brake,” it says, intended to prevent the possibility of a third wave of the pandemic.
“And it’s important the community work together to overcome this risk,” they say in a release today.
“I have heard from many people who are concerned about the impact on people’s livelihood, on their businesses, and physical and mental wellbeing,” says Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
“And I sympathize with them. I know that this is incredibly difficult and I sincerely wish we were not in this level of restriction.
“However, we are seeing increases of cases and outbreaks of the UK B1.1.7 variant in Simcoe and Muskoka in workplaces, long-term care facilities, a child care centre and an apartment building.”
“Countries that have experienced high numbers of the variants of concern have then experienced a third wave of COVID-19 and we need to act early to prevent that from happening here.”
Gardner said “Simcoe-Muskoka has the highest number of variants of concern in Ontario.”
As of Sunday 184 local cases have been tested positive for the UK B.1.1.7 COVID-19 VOC and another 290 cases have screened positive and are waiting confirmatory testing. The variants are more contagious than the original COVID-19 strain, and result in more severe disease.
He said more than 60 per cent of the local COVID-19 cases screened last week were positive for a variant of concern. Active outbreaks have been trending back up since mid-February.
By comparing today’s outbreak situation to a week ago, there are eight more active outbreaks (22 vs. 14) including five more workplace outbreaks (12 vs. 7) with nine of these 12 active workplace outbreaks linked to a variant of concern.
Gardner said moving into the grey zone is meant to act as an emergency brake to help stop the spread of the virus, protect public health and health system capacity in the regions.
He is monitoring the health data closely so that he can advise the province to lift the restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so.
For more information, visit or call Health Connection to speak with a public health professional, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 705-721-7520 (1-877-721-7520) or at www.smdhu.org.
And here’s province’s grey-lockdown rules at: http://ow.ly/nGFB50DLgBv
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