April 9, 2021

GRAVENHURST, HUNTSVILLE CASES FRIDAY AMONG 100 IN REGION

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Fears that COVID is striking younger people comes home as two more Muskoka men are among the latest 100 regional victims of the virus today.

The Gravenhurst and Huntsville residents, both aged 18-34, are under investigation after being first reported yesterday and the day before, with first incidents April 6 and 7.

The other 98 cases were in Simcoe.

Yesterday the province reported 124 cases in Simcoe-Muskoka — though the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) could only account for 84.

By their accounting, there have now been 402 new cases this week, on top of 448 last week and 308 the week before.

Hospitalizations were also up by 5 Friday to 38.

And another person in Simcoe has died, the 208^th since the start of the pandemic.

On the other side of the ledger, SMDHU says 2,207 more vaccines were administered Thursday, bringing the total to 116,500.

And as Premier Doug Ford got an AstraZeneca injection at a Shoppers Drug Mart at the Rexdale Plaza in Etobicoke today.

The news comes as Ontario cases, too, continued to spike with Public Health Ontario reporting 4,227 and 18 deaths.

Toronto topped the list of health units with 1,218 cases, York had 532 and Peel 762.

Further north cases continue to rise this week in North Bay-Parry Sound going from 1 to 4 this week.

Sudbury saw 23 cases, up from 13 a day ago.

The Quebec cases were 1,683 and 8 deaths; Manitoba 179 and 3 deaths.

Health officials have warned that numbers could rise in the weeks to come.

That has Ontario is ordering hospitals to suspend all but emergency and life-saving surgeries.

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

1,245 UK variants, 18 from Brazil, 2 from South Africa.
405 VOC have screened positive awaiting confirmatory testing.
116,500 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Simcoe Muskoka.
18,300 have received both of the required doses .
There have been 402 new cases this week, 448 last week and 308 the week before.
6 deaths in April, 12 in March.

**A daily look at Simcoe-Muskoka and the COVID picture according to SMHDU.**

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

Officials also announced that workers at two vaccine centres in Toronto at the Metro Convention Centre (April 2-5) and Scarborough Town Centre (March 31-April 2) have tested positive for the corona virus. People are urged to monitor for symptoms.
285 Saskatchewan physicians have called on Premier Scott Moe to enact stricter restrictions. They say ICU admittances have never been as high; and also that younger frontline workers from lower economic backgrounds can’t stay at home and self-isolate.
200 migrant workers from Mexico coming to Ontario Saturday will get vaccine shots as part of a pilot project, reports The Canadian Press.
Nova Scotia targets end of June for all residents to get vaccine.
Montreal reported 392 cases and Quebec City 449.
An opinion piece in the Toronto Star by Brooke Stuck says there’s no excuse not to stay home and cover-up as numbers rise and asymptomatic cases loom in the shadows.
Sick Kids in Toronto opens 8 beds for adult COVID patients.
Almost 685,000 in Toronto have gotten vaccine shots.
All Americans can expect a knock at their door to encourage them to get the vaccine. To date 114.4 vaccines have been injected there.
Brazil’s hospitals having trouble coping with soaring cases.
Tokyo getting tough on corona in lead-up to Summer Olympics, targeting bars, nightclubs and dining establishments.
Iraq reported new daily highs of 8,331 on Wednesday.
Canada had 7,982 cases Friday.
Johnson & Johnson destroyed millions of vaccine doses at its Baltimore factory, which means 86 per cent fewer deliveries in April.