CONFUSED, CONFOUNDED AS 120 WEEKEND CASES REPORTED MONDAY

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — A pandemic milestone passed Sunday as the region had cases 7,000 and 7,001.

Both were in Simcoe and among 120 reported Monday by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU).

A Lake of Bays man, 18-34, was among them. He is under investigation after reporting on Feb. 24 with a first episode Feb. 23.

No cases in Muskoka were reported in the past three days’ accounting. And the district’s last two cases were Feb. 10 in Huntsville, ages 18-34 and 34-35.

Local public health is also grappling with the vaccine booking chaos, as the province’s online appointment portal went live at 8 a.m. without access to SMDHU clinics and locations as options.

Confused and confounded callers — mostly seniors or their younger siblings — struggled by phone and online.

Mary Tompsett, of Gravenhurst, was on the phone today with the province by at 8 a.m. today and finally at 9 a.m. she spoke to someone.

She gave them her health card number and they said they’d contact her later. But at supper time still no call back.

“I’ve got to get out,” she said, adding her sons Mike also got through for her and someone from SMDHU told him to just have one person be the contact person instead of multiple callers.

Though some had success. See that related account here at MuskokaTODAY.com

A survey for the Toronto Star today said more than half of Ontarians (51 per cent) gave the province a grade of “poor” for its handling of the vaccine rollout.

“No shot, Sherlock,” read the brilliant lead paragraph by reporter Robert Benzie, their Queen’s Park bureau chief.

And Premier Doug Ford said this afternoon that retired general Rick Hillier is leaving his role as head of the vaccine rollout at the end of March.

All of this comes as Ford said Sunday that 70-year-olds would now be eligible to get appointments.

This as SMHDH said more than 340 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have also been administered to adults 60-64 years by four Family Health Teams in Simcoe Muskoka.

Cottage Family Health Team offices in Gravenhurst and Bracebridge were not part of the rollout for those aged 60-64 eligible for the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not recommended for those older.

They expect a supply this week and will be contacting those eligible.

The Algonquin Family Health Team in Huntsville was unavailable for comment.

Simcoe-Muskoka, also saw variants increase by 80 to 835.

Province-wide, Ontario reported 1,268 cases and 9 deaths.

Toronto had 366 of them, York 147 and Peel 220.

One case was in North Bay-Parry Sound, Sudbury saw 33 and Thunder Bay 61.

Quebec reported 594 cases and 10 deaths; Manitoba 50 cases and no deaths, but 18 UK variants.

HEATLH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

  • To date 252 local cases have been tested positive for the COVID-19 variant of concern UK B.1.1.7 (UK), 7 cases have tested positive for the P.1 variant of concern (Brazil), 1 case has tested positive for the B.1.351 variant of concern (South Africa) and an additional 571 cases have screened positive (awaiting confirmatory testing)
  • 55,927 doses of Pfizer have been administered in Simcoe Muskoka. This includes 15,830 individuals who have received both of the required doses of the vaccine. In addition, 3,011 (or 94%) long-term care residents and 3,430 (or 94%) retirement home residents have received their first dose.
  • SMDHU says there have been 16 new cases reported to the health unit for the current week as of Sunday, though the province says its more like 33. There were 288 new cases reported to the health unit last week (week of March 7th), which was more than one-third higher than the 211 cases reported for the week of Feb. 28th.
This is how the health unit sees it to start the week.

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

  • Ontario’s seven-day average is 1,350.
  • No deaths in provincial LTCs for third straight day.
  • Ontario Hospital Association officially declares “third wave.”
  • Walmart closing 6 Ontario stores — improving others — to concentrate online.
  • Germany, France and Italy suspending use of AstaZeneca, but WHO says “don’t panic” because it wise to investigate blood clot concerns. Justin Trudeau agrees.
Mary Tompsett, of Gravenhurst, was on the phone today with the province by at 8 a.m. today and finally by 9 a.m. she spoke to someone and gave them her health card number. They said they’d contact her later. But at supper time still no call back. “I’ve got to get out,” she said.

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