ANOTHER BRACEBRIDGE RESIDENT AMONG 87 IN SIMCOE-MUSKOKA TODAY

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — A day after 10 more Muskoka COVID cases were reported late yesterday, another Bracebridge resident is among 87 new cases posted on Thursday.

The under-18 female had close contact and was first reported Wednesday with a first episode Saturday.

She follows six people in Bracebridge and 2 each in Gravenhurst and Huntsville the health unit posted late last night.

They include:

Bracebridge female, 0-17, under investigation, first episode April 18

Bracebridge female, 0-17, under investigation, first episode April 19

Bracebridge male, 0-17, under investigation, first episode April 19

Bracebridge man, 18-34, under investigation, first episode April 19

Bracebridge man, 35-44, under investigation, first episode April 19

Bracebridge man, 45-64, under investigation, first episode April 19

Gravenhurst man, 45-64, close contact, first episode April 19

Gravenhurst man, 65-79, close contact, first episode April 14

Huntsville woman, 35-64, under investigation, first episode April 19

Huntsville man, 45-64, under investigation, first episode April 19

The additional cases come with a note from the health unit that 2 cases — in Lake of Bays and Bracebridge — were moved other health units.

Elsewhere Thursday, Ontario Premier Doug Ontario said “I apologize” for the weekend closure of some outdoor parks and playgrounds.

And he said he was “wrong” and it was a “mistake” to call on police to enforce emergency restrictions that led to a Bracebridge OPP officer shoving a 12-year-old to the ground at a Gravenhurst skateboard park Sunday over mask enforcement.

This afternoon Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams tried to set the record straight of what the province’s Scientific Table said about outdoor activities.

He encouraged people to go out an exercise as long as they wear a mask and maintain social distancing.

That means using parks alone or only with your household cohort.

This as Ontario reported a big drop in cases to 3,682 cases — but 40 more deaths.

That’s an improvement from Wednesday when the province reported 4,212 cases and 32 deaths for the previous day.

And Ontario’s 7-day average dipped a percentage point today to 4,176.

Also today, Toronto reported 1,131 cases (down from 1,249), York was up to 436 (386) and Peel was down to 507 (771).

North Bay-Parry Sound had 3 cases today after 2 days of zero cases.

Quebec reported 1,248 cases and 7 deaths this morning.

Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) reports today that almost 25 per cent of the region’s residents have had their first vaccine. That’s 153,878 people.

However, 43 people are in hospital including 6 new patients since yesterday.

And there were no new deaths locally to add to the 218 who have already died.

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

  • 9,726 cases so far
  • 335 new cases reported to the health unit for the current week.
  • There have been 16 COVID-19 deaths so far in April. In March, 12 Simcoe Muskoka residents died from COVID-19.
  • 2,087 local cases have tested positive, still 22 from Brazil, 2 from South Africa
  • 524 cases awaiting full confirmation
  • 169,600+ total vaccines have been administered
  • 153,900 people in region have received first dose of vaccine, 25% of total population.
A summary of today’s health unit numbers for Thursday April 22.

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

  • While it’s unclear where the corona virus began, today Justin Trudeau and Doug Ford were both wrongly accused of causing the third wave in the House and in the backyard where the premier is isolating.
  • Canada getting 1.9 million more vaccines next week from Pfizer, Moderna and first from J&J — but not 1 million doses of AstraZeneca from India.
  • New fears are emerging in Canada of another variant of concern — B1617 — coming out of India, which is the world’s second most affected country in the world next to the U.S. Indian officials say it spreads faster, but as yet it is not known to be any more dangerous. The country had 314,000 new cases yesterday. It added 2,104 more deaths to the 184,657 who have already died. India has a population of 1.4 billion.
  • This after horrible news out of India yesterday that 22 people on ventilators died when oxygen supply leaked.
  • Almost 30 per cent of Canadians — 10.8 million — have now received at least one vaccine.
  • Toronto is close to 3,000 deaths and 1 million vaccines.
  • Norway lending all its remaining 216,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to Sweden and Iceland as it puts a pause AZ distribution over clot concerns.
  • Canada to slash greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2030, pledges Trudeau; after talk this week with Joe Biden who promised a 50 per cut by Americans in he same seven years. Good luck to both.
Canada is expecting 1.9 million more vaccines next week, which will help busy public health nurses coping with increasing numbers and precarious supplies.

Email news@muskokatoday.com

Celebrating 27 YEARS of ‘Local Online Journalism’

Follow us on at Twitter @muskokatoday & on Facebook at mclairmont1

Leave your comments at end of story.

Send Letters to the Editor at news@muskokatoday.com

SUBSCRIBE for $25 by e-transferring to news@muskokatoday.com

Or go online to https://muskokatoday.com/subscriptions