8 MUSKOKA CASES OVER WEEKEND, AS PANDEMIC, VACCINES DOMINATE VOTING

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — As masked voters lined up to cast ballots today, the pandemic, vaccines, choice and change were on most people’s minds at polling stations.

This as 8 Muskoka residents over the weekend tested COVID positive among 59 regional cases the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) is reporting.

Monday the province said 19 of them were from Sunday — SMHDU reported just a dozen.

The northern cases all under investigation were:

1. Huntsville woman, 18-34, after reporting yesterday, with a first episode Sept. 18
2. Huntsville man, 45-64, reported Sept. 19, first episode Sept. 19
3. Bracebridge boy, under 18, reported Sept. 18, first episode Sept. 17
4. Gravenhurst woman, 45-64, reported Sept. 18, first episode Sept. 17
5. Huntsville woman, 35-44, reported Sept. 18, first episode Sept. 17
6. Huntsville man, 45-64, reported Sept. 18, first episode Sept. 17
7. Muskoka Lakes woman, reported Sept. 18, first episode Sept. 17
8. Muskoka Lakes man, reported Sept. 18, first episode Sept. 13

There were 2 more deaths in Simcoe and 1 previous case in Bracebridge was moved to another health unit.

Another local COVID case has landed in hospital, the 11^th person.

Vaccines meanwhile are 73.7 per cent for one and 68 per cent for two among the total population.

Globally less than 10 per cent of the world’s poorest nations have received vaccinations as world leaders on Wednesday grapple with protecting the world while trying to grow back their economies.

Regionally here, 39 of today’s COVID tests were people who unvaccinated, 8 were fully vaccinated and 6 partially vaccinated.

Among the 232 active coronavirus cases 159 are variants of concern mostly likely the Delta variant.

Meanwhile, Pfizer will seek approval from Health Canada for a vaccine for children as young as age five, after it said trials with about a third of the dose strength have shown similar results as teenagers have experienced.

MONDAY: COVID BY THE NUMBERS … 19 CASES IN SIMCOE-MUSKOKA  (19 YESTERDAY) … ONTARIO 610 AND 2 DEATHS (715-5) … TORONTO 126 (139), YORK 71 (68), PEEL 100 (59) … NORTH BAY-PARRY SOUND 3 (0) … PORCUPINE 0 (1) …

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

• 13,351 cases to date
• 12 cases this week; 142 last week, which was, 28% lower than the 197 cases the week before
• From December 22nd, 2020 onwards, there have been 212 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 cases of Alpha variant of concern, 168 Gamma, 34 Beta, 994 cases
• 661 cases await confirmation of VOC
• 865,734 vaccines have been administered
• 445,692 residents have received one vaccine, which is 74% of the population
• 84% of those 12+ have had one vaccine
• 82% of youth 12 to 17 have also received one vaccine

IN OTHER COVID NEWS:

• After Barack Obama endorsed Justin Trudeau, Hilary Clinton has done likewise. But Bernie Sanders has endorsed Jagmeet Singh.
• Quebec reports 679 cases and 1 death.
• N.S. Scotia reports 55 new cases.
• Alberta begins vaccine passports and Saskatchewan introduces QR codes.
• Joe Biden to open American border to foreigners in November.
• As the U.S. hits 2,000 average deaths a day, the country has reached 675,000 total deaths — the same number as the 1918-1919 Spanish flu.
• India, the world’s largest vaccine producer, is resuming production and distribution next month after halting both in April due to its own rising case counts.

EMAIL: news@muskokatoday.com

28 years of ‘Local Online Journalism’

Twitter: @muskokatoday, Facebook: mclairmont1

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