44 WEEKEND COVID CASES INCLUDE 3 IN MUSKOKA; SCHOOLS VACCINATION CLINICS ORDERED

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Three of the 44 cases reported today by the health unit were in Muskoka — and they continue a local trend that last week saw a 165 per cent jump in cases since the first week of August.

The new cases are the latest weekend update since Friday by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU).

They include 15 on Sunday, 9 Saturday, 14 Friday, 4 more Thursday, 1 Wednesday and 1 Aug. 8.

The three Muskoka cases, all reported Saturday and under investigation, were:

  • Gravenhurst boy, under age 18, with a first episode Friday.
  • Gravenhurst man, 35-44, with a first episode Friday
  • Lake of Bays woman, 18-34, with a first episode Saturday

Monday’s 15 cases yesterday start the week off and follow 98 last week, which was 165% — or more than 2.5 times — higher than the 37 cases reported for the first week of August.

On Aug. 1, 2020 there were 661 cases — just under half the 12,531 reported today.

A year ago this week only 2 cases were reported on Aug. 15.

The most cases in a day — including hospitalizations — was April 13 when there were 884 active cases.

With a fourth wave now, SMDHU says there were 48 new variants over the weekend, bring their number to 296 — with 88 of them active VOCs.

It also reports 123 active COVID cases in Simcoe-Muskoka.

On the vaccine front, 70.3 per cent of regional residents have had one vaccine and 62. 2 per cent are fully vaccinated.

This as with weeks to go to a return to classes Ontario is call on school boards to open their doors ASAP to vaccine clinics for students, their families, teachers and staff and their relatives.

Trillium Lakelands District School Board says it is coming up with a new back-to-school plan next month, after failing to respond to questions from the Toronto Star that undertook a survey of all school boards and received reponses from almost all of them.

The province also wants health units to set up clinics near schools before Sept. 1.

Also over the weekend, it was reported that many school boards won’t be fully equipped with proper air circulation and ventalation systems that the federal and provincial government provided money for recently and ordered be installed.

MONDAY: COVID BY THE NUMBERS … 18 CASES IN SIMCOE-MUSKOKA  (10 YESTERDAY) … ONTARIO 526 AND 0 DEATHS (511-0) … TORONTO 128 (116), YORK 66 (64), PEEL 83 (69) … NORTH BAY-PARRY SOUND 1 (0) …  PORCUPINE 0 (0) …

As schools get ready to open, including new electronic signage at GHS, the province has ordered school boards to open their doors to vaccination clinics for the school family ASAP.
School boards are scrambling to re-open and workers and construction equipment are busy around them with days to go before two million kids are eligible to return to classes.

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

  • 12,531 cases to date
  • 15 new cases since Sunday; 98 last week, which was 165% or more than 2.5 times higher than the 37 cases reported for the week of Aug. 1.
  • 0 deaths in August, 4 in July, 6 in June
  • Still 4,000 Alpha variants, 168 Gamma, 34 Beta, 296 Delta
  • 677 cases await confirmation of VOC
  • 809,911 vaccinations so far
  • 424,860 residents have had one vaccine, which represents 70.8% of population
  • 80% of population 12+ have had one vaccine
  • 71% of youth 12 to 17 have also had one vaccine

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

  • Quebec reports 409 cases Monday.
  • Alberta won’t mandate vaccines for return to school.
  • Pfizer seeks approval for booster shots in U.S.
  • New York City mandates vaccine proof for public spaces.
  • Florida’s young adult population being ravaged by COVID 19.
If only recent skyrocketing trends were going down instead of up, these jet streams over Gravenhurst today would point in a more positive direction left to right.

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