60 MUSKOKA CASES; ISOLATION DOWN TO 5 DAYS; PEOPLE WITH MILD SYMPTONS ASKED NOT TO GET TESTED

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — With school’s return delayed two days next week, Simcoe-Muskoka is dealing with 637 COVID cases today, says the health unit.

Public Health Ontario makes it 441 cases.

Included in those are 60 cases in Muskoka, with more than half of them — 31 — in Huntsville, says the Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU).

They are as follows:

New provincial measures

Meanwhile, the province says vaccinated Ontarians with COVID symptoms must self-isolate for five days — along with anyone in the same household.

This afternoon, Dr. Kieran Moore, chief medical officer of health said the two million students will return to school Wednesday, Jan. 5, when all staff will be given N95 masks to wear in class.

He said it gives boards time to get ready and time for the province to send out masks for school and child-care staff, as well as 3,000 more HEPA air filters for classrooms.

Also, says a government release with the announcement, effective tomorrow publicly-funded PCR testing will be available only for high-risk individuals who are symptomatic and/or are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19, including for the purposes of confirming a COVID-19 diagnosis to begin treatment, and workers and residents in the highest risk settings, as well as vulnerable populations.

Members of the public with mild symptoms are asked not to seek testing. A full list of eligible individuals can be found here.

Most individuals with a positive result from a rapid antigen test will no longer be required or encouraged to get a confirmatory PCR or rapid molecular test.

In addition, it’s changing the required isolation period “based on growing evidence that generally healthy people with COVID-19 are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.”

Individuals with COVID-19 who are vaccinated, as well as children under 12, will be required to isolate for five days following the onset of symptoms. Their household contacts are also required to isolate with them.

These individuals can end isolation after five days if their symptoms are improved for at least 24 hours and all public health and safety measures, such as masking and physical distancing, are followed.

Non-household contacts are required to self-monitor for 10 days.

Individuals who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or immunocompromised will be required to isolate for 10 days.

And employees who work or live in high-risk health care settings are recommended to return to work after 10 days from their last exposure or symptom onset or from their date of diagnosis, to ensure sufficient staffing levels workers will have the opportunity to return to work after isolating for seven days with negative PCR or rapid antigen test results, which will be provided by the province through the health care setting.

THURSDAY: COVID P.H.0. NUMBERS: … 441 (395) CASES IN SIMCOE-MUSKOKA (395 YESTERDAY) … ONTARIO 13,807 (10,436) … TORONTO 3,478 (2,715) YORK 1,224 (1,254), PEEL 1,468 (1,036) … NORTH BAY-PARRY SOUND 66 (53) … PORCUPINE 119 (74) … KINGSTON 242 (132) …

Masks were included in today’s weekly delivery of GAP food boxes in Gravenhurst, as Muskoka had 60 cases Thursday.

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

  • 20,782 cases to date
  • 1,612 cases this week since Sunday
  • 1,632 cases last week, a 91% spike over the 853 cases the week before
  • From December 22 there have been 4,168 confirmed COVID-19 cases among vaccinated individuals
  • 7 deaths in December, 14 in November, 5 each in October and September
  • From October 31 to December 25 the rate of COVID-19 infection among the unvaccinated vaccine-eligible Simcoe Muskoka population is four times higher than it is for fully vaccinated population and the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations is 18 times higher.
  • 3,611 Delta cases
  • 136 Omicron
  • 1,444 cases await confirmation of VOC
  • 1,095,559 vaccines have been administered
  • 485,388 individuals have received at least vaccine, which represents 80% of the total population
  • 84% of the population 5+ have had at least one vaccine; including 82% of youth 12 to 17
  • 39% of children 5 to 11 have received at least one vaccine

SMDHU reports 637 cases today, while the province says it’s 441.

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

  • A Public Health Ontario study claims Omicron is less likely than Delta to land you in hospital or kill you.
  • Ottawa says “no vaccine — no UI.” That is unless you have a medical exemption.
  • France orders masks be worn outdoors.
  • Inuit town leader claims local health unit wasn’t prepared with real test and now the Labrador fly-in community has 10 cases.
  • J&J’s two-dose vaccine is proving 85 per cent effective against Omicron.
  • Israel approves 4th vaccine for vulnerable.
  • 183,000 cases per day this week in U.K.
  • NYC will drop the ball tomorrow night as usual.

 

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