2 MUSKOKA COVID CASES TODAY ADD TO 4 AT SCHOOLS THIS WEEK

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Nobody realistically expected COVID to end soon — save for some overly optimistic politicians and anti-vaxxers.

But with daily numbers riding roller-coasters coast to coast, 16 cases in Simcoe-Muskoka today — up 3 from yesterday — come as Ontario also saw an increase to 677 from 463. Seven more Ontarians also died the past day.

Two of Thursday’s regional cases are in Muskoka, both reported yesterday with first episodes two days ago:

  • Bracebridge child, of unreported sex, had close contact
  • Huntsville woman, 65-79, is under investigation

This as 4 cases have been reported at three Muskoka schools Tuesday:

  • 1 at Monck Public school in Bracebridge
  • 1 at Glen Orchard Public School in Muskoka Lakes
  • 2 at Irwin Memorial Public School in Dwight

They are among 702 schools with a reported case of COVID out of 4,844 schools in the province, or 14.49 per cent. According to Toronto Star tracking, there are 122 new cases reported Thursday for a total of 1,306 reported school-related COVID cases in Ontario.

Related is a new report that the Delta variant is no more dangerous to kids than adults, says Dr. Juan Dumois, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

And another Canadian report on ‘COVID-light.’

It attributes any of your maladies the past you could be connected to a mild, undetectable case of the coronavirus.

Dr. Zain Chagla, an infectious disease physician and associate professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, said common respiratory viruses such as enterovirus and rhinovirus — which causes the common cold — saw low rates of transmission last winter due to physical distancing and mask wearing. But they began circulating more widely over the summer.

And could be COVID-19 light.

Vaccine passports can be printed off on a large piece of paper as proof along with government-issued photo ID to get in to restaurants, which are then verified by staff.

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

  • 13,398 cases to date
  • 60 this week; 141 last week, which was 28% lower than the 197 the week before
  • From December 22nd, 2020 onwards, there have been 224 confirmed COVID-19 cases among vaccinated individuals.
  • From July 25th to September 18th, the rate of COVID-19 infection among the unvaccinated vaccine-eligible Simcoe Muskoka population is 12 times higher than it is for fully vaccinated population and the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations is 54 times higher.
  • 4,007 Alpha VOCs, 168 Gamma, 34 Beta, 1,036 Delta
  • 663 cases await confirmation of variant
  • 870,935 vaccines have been administered
  • 447,572 residents have received one vaccine, which represents 74% of the population
  • 84% of the population 12+ have had one vaccine
  • 82% of youth 12 to 17 have also received one vaccine

Ten of yesterday’s positive tests were unvaccinated and 6 were fully vaccinated.

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

  • Expect grocery aisles to be less crowded — and hopefully shelves more full — as vaccine passports open more restaurant doors. July retail sales show a 0.6 decline at supermarkets.
  • New York City subway cops issued only 41 $50 tickets for riders not wearing a mask in defiance of state law. One survey found 80 per cent wore masks. But now the city plans to crack down.
  • More than 6,000 cases the past two days sees Michigan with more than 1 million cases and just 58 per cent of residents 12+ fully vaccinated.

EMAIL: news@muskokatoday.com

28 years of ‘Local Online Journalism’

Twitter: @muskokatoday, Facebook: mclairmont1

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