40 COVID CASES OVER THE WEEKEND IN SIMCOE-MUSKOKA, WITH 1 IN BRACEBRIDGE

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Forty regional COVID cases over the weekend — half of them yesterday — come as Ontario Premier Doug Ford promises about $9 billion for LTCs, nurses and PSWs the next decade.

A man in Bracebridge, aged 45-64, with close contact was the only Muskoka person to test positive. He reported on Oct. 1, with a first episode Sept. 20.

The other 39 cases were all in Simcoe. Twenty of them were on Sunday.

Last week there were 98 cases in Simcoe and Muskoka.

Ford said in the throne speech to open the fall sitting of the legislature that the province will spend $2.68 billions over the next decade on 30,000 new LTC beds. And $5 billion the next four years to hire 27,000 nurses and personal support workers.

This as Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) reports 151 active COVID cases today, with 8 people in hospital.

It says 85 per cent of residents 12+ are now vaccinated.

That’s 75 per cent of the total population with one shot and 70 per cent with two shots.

Meanwhile, New Zealand may have given up on ever putting an end to COVID (like many other countries before it), despite a good start for the country of 5 million.

But new world figures show cases are down 30 per cent since late August. And in the U.S. they’re down 35 per cent since Sept. 1.

VACCINATON CLINICS THIS WEEK:

Wednesday, Oct. 6

  • Orillia: GO-VAXX Bus (Pfizer only) – Lakehead University, 500 University Ave., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021

  • Barrie Public Library (Downtown), 60 Worsley St., 9 a.m. to noon
  • Barrie Public Library (Painswick), 48 Dean Ave., 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 10

  • Bracebridge: GO-VAXX Bus (Pfizer only) – Bracebridge SportsPlex, 110 Clearbrook Trail, 9 a.m. to noon
  • Gravenhurst: GO-VAXX Bus (Pfizer only) – SMDHU Gravenhurst Office, 5 Pineridge Gate, 2 to 5 p.m.

Immunizations are also available to residents by walk-in only at the COVID-19 Immunization Centre, 29 Sperling Dr., in Barrie on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays until the end of November. Information about clinic times is available on our website. Vaccines are also available through participating pharmacies, the Barrie Family Health Team and some health care providers, and limited appointments at our local health unit offices.

COVID-19 vaccinations are available to individuals who are turning 12 years of age in 2021 (born in 2009) and older and needing their first or second dose. Second doses must be at least 21 days after a first dose of Pfizer vaccine, at least 28 days after a first dose of Moderna vaccine, or eight weeks after a first dose of AstraZeneca with informed consent.

For more information about how to prepare for an appointment and what to expect upon arrival at the clinic, please visit our COVID-19 pages at www.smdhu.org.

MONDAY: COVID BY THE NUMBERS … 20 CASES IN SIMCOE-MUSKOKA (12 YESTERDAY) … ONTARIO 511 AND 2 DEATHS (589-2) … TORONTO 85 (110), YORK 30 (42), PEEL 88 (85) … NORTH BAY-PARRY SOUND 5 (5) … PORCUPINE 0 (0) …

Bill Watson, above, shows the ‘Better Biscuit Sniper Shooter’ puck he says is better than a real puck for outdoor floor hockey. He and his son, Evan, 16,  below were getting some R&R at the Muskoka Wharf while up at their cottage on Lake Muskoka out by Taboo in Gravenhurst this weekend.

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

  • 13,564 cases to date
  • 20 cases this week; 98 last week, which was 9% lower than the 108 cases the week before
  • From December 22nd, 2020 onwards, there have been 268 confirmed COVID-19 cases among vaccinated individuals.
  • Five COVID-19 related deaths were reported in September.
  • From Aug. 8 to Oct. 2, the rate of COVID-19 infection among the unvaccinated vaccine-eligible Simcoe Muskoka population is 11 times higher than it is for fully vaccinated population and the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations is 40 times higher.
  • 4,007 Alpha variants to date, 168 Gamma, 34 Beta, 1,210 Delta
  • 884,158 vaccines have been administered
  • 452,553 residents have received one vaccine, which represents 75% of the population
  • 85% of the population 12+ have had at least one vaccine
  • 84% of youth 12 to 17 have also received one vaccine

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

Quebec reports 402 cases and 6 deaths.

Mining giant Vale, where 39 miners were trapped last week, doesn’t have COVID vaccine protocols.

New Brunswick, with 759 active cases, is closing more than a dozen schools as the province reports three times and many cases as neighbouring Nova Scotia.

As Doug Ford promises to pump billions more in to LTCs, Ontario’s not-for-profit care home association says the system is “on the brink of collapse.”

New York City has seen a spike in vaccine uptake within schools after Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered all staff to be vaccinated.

Mixed booster shots may be OK in the EU, but Canadian travellers are complaining about having trouble getting into some countries that don’t accept a combination of Pfizer, Moderna and other otherwise accepted vaccines produced and sold around the world.

EMAIL: news@muskokatoday.com

28 years of ‘Local Online Journalism’

Twitter: @muskokatoday, Facebook: mclairmont1

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