2 MUSKOKA YOUNGSTERS, 0-17, ARE AMONG 53 LOCAL CASES INCLUDING 37 IN SCHOOLS

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — If one is too many. Two is twice as bad.

That’s Muskoka today with two COVID cases among 53 in the region Monday.

The boy and girl are among kids under age 18.

This as the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) says as of today, 10% of children 5 to 11 years of age have received their first vaccine.

The Muskoka cases being reported are:

  • Bracebridge girl, 0-17, under investigation, reported Nov. 29, with a first episode Nov. 28
  • Huntsville boy, 0-17, under investigation, reported Nov. 28, with a first episode Nov. 26

They are among 37 active elementary school cases in Muskoka right now, including:

  • 21 at Spruce Glen in Huntsville, after an outbreak declared Nov. 22
  • 3 at Monck Public in Bracebridge, after an outbreak Nov. 19
  • 13 at V.K. Greer in Port Sydney, after an outbreak Nov. 9

The health unit says there are 641 active cases; 32 people in hospital (6 overnight).

Of the latest cases, 38 people were unvaccinated, 21 fully vaccinated and 1 partially vaccinated.

And while SMDHU reports no new deaths, 3 others in Ontario saw the province 10,000 people who have directly died from COVID.

In nearby North Bay police are investigating anti-vax protests at a clinic for kids.

Meanwhile, with Omicron the dominant variant of concern among health officials now, South Africa’s envoy to Canada is calling on this government to end what she calls “apartheid vaccine” against her country. High Commissioner Sibongiseni Dlamini-Mntambo wants an end to patents preventing discounted vaccines for her country. She says South Africa and India are appealing to the World Trade Organization for a waiver.

Why this now? Shouldn’t poor countries have been able to buy vaccines and distribute them a year ago?

Also as the world scrambles to contain Omicron, Dutch health officials say they spotted it Nov. 19 — five days before South Africa announced to the world it had an outbreak.

TUESDAY: COVID BY THE P.H.0. NUMBERS: … 57 CASES IN SIMCOE-MUSKOKA (80 YESTERDAY) … ONTARIO 687 AND 3 DEATHS (788-3) … TORONTO 94 (106), YORK 30 (48), PEEL 60 (49) … NORTH BAY-PARRY SOUND 0 (4) … PORCUPINE 1 (0) …

The health unit says 10 per cent of local kids have been  vaccinated since last week.

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

  • 15,647 cases to date
  • 114 cases this week
  • 497 last week, which was 20% higher than the 415 cases reported for the week of Nov. 14
  • From Dec. 22 there have been 963 confirmed COVID-19 cases among vaccinated individuals
  • 12 deaths in November, 5 each previous two months
  • From Oct. 3 to Nov. 27 the rate of COVID-19 infection among the unvaccinated vaccine-eligible Simcoe Muskoka population is seven times higher than it is for fully vaccinated population and the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations is 13 times higher.
  • 4,008 cases of Alpha variant of concern, 169 Gamma, 34 Beta, 2,499 Delta
  • 944,704 vaccines have been administered
  • 469,945 residents have received at least one vaccine, which represents 77% of the total population
  • 88% of those 12+ have had at least one vaccine
  • 85% of youth 12 to 17 have had one vaccine
  • 10% of children 5 to 11 years of age have also received at least one dose of vaccine

100 COVID cases were resolved the past day, but 641 remain active.

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

  • Nova Scotia says 99 per cent of its government and health care workers have all had at least one vaccine.
  • Toronto Mayor John Tory, worried about high-rise vacancy in downtown skyscrapers, wants city workers to return to work from home at least three days a week in the new year. Businesses that depend on them are also suffering.
  • As restrictions were lifted Canadians added to the economy boosting it 5.4 per cent in Q3, after a decline in Q2. That’s due to more bar, restaurant, hotel and airplane passengers.
  • Quebec reports 784 cases and 2 deaths.
  • A Russian monk (not Rasputin) was sentenced to 3.5 years for denying COVID and urging people to instead “die for their country.”
  • A U.S. federal judge has ruled against a Biden administration vaccine mandate for 10 states.
  • A new report says thousands of Canadians died as a fallout from COVID after medical procedures were delayed as health care resources had to be devoted to the virus. But couldn’t patients be transferred to other under-taxed Canadian hospitals to treat them?
  • Canadians 12+ will have to be vaccinated to ride the rails and fly the skies as of today.
  • Food banks have seen a 10 per cent increase in demand lately.

EMAIL: news@muskokatoday.com

28 years of ‘Local Online Journalism’

Twitter: @muskokatoday, Facebook: mclairmont1

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