Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Omicron may not be as severe as the Delta wave, but its sheer numbers threaten to overwhelm the health care system.

So says Dr. Charles Gardner while adding that 98 per cent of cases last week were Omicron.

He said “you can’t rely on vaccines,” which given people false sense of security and allowed them to be more exposed to transmission.

“Two vaccines aren’t enough” to protect against Omicron, he reiterated. And why that “partial protection” is giving rise again to cases particularly in the more vulnerable seniors population and to those in LTC and retirement homes.

“It drives home the point that you can’t rely on two doses to blunt the rise.”

And, he added, that access to testing is harder to get now.

That’s why he’s calling for a “layered” approach that includes all the original health protections augmented by vaccines.

That as the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (MOH) medical officer of health announced 362 cases Wednesday — including 44 in Muskoka.

He said dozens of cases among outbreaks in Muskoka at retirement homes and long-term care facilities — like Castle Peak (5 staff) and the Pines in Bracebridge, Muskoka Landing in Huntsville and Muskoka Shores in Gravenhurst — are indicative. Including at South Muskoka Memorial Hospital in Bracebridge.

They have contributed to a 115 per cent jump in cases the past two weeks — from 1,644 cases to 3,529 last week.

It brings the number of cases per 100,000 population per week to 584.

That’s five time higher than the peak of the third wave.

And Muskoka’s case count during from Dec. 19 to Jan. 1 was 259 per cent higher compared to Simcoe County at 108 per cent.

Comparatively Ontario overall increased by 188 per cent to 657 cases per 100,000 population per week from 350 cases.

Simcoe-Muskoka now has 6,245 active cases. On Dec. 31 when Gardner last reported there were 4,246.

Hospitalizations are now at 33, with 9 in ICU.

As well, there was an 18 per cent increase in unvaccinated cases last week, with 78 per cent fully vaccinated with two or three shots.

Gardner said that’s because people feel now with two or three vaccines they are immune.

Omicron is proving them wrong.

The region’s positivity rate is up to 26 per cent compared to a week ago when it was 14.9 per cent. (In Ontario the positivity rate of 28.1 per cent.)

That’s resulted in more hospitalizations. With 33 in hospital today that’s 5 more than six days ago. They range in age from under 10 to their 90s. And there’s 1 more case in ICU.

Half the COVID cases in hospital are aged 60s to 70s, a shift to older residents from young individuals.

Gardner also said all of Muskoka’s hospital ICU beds are full right now.

Booster shots, he said, were up with 7,475 shots yesterday — including now 41 per cent of kids 5-11.

But it’s young adults who are now accounting for many of the cases after months of young children.

Fortunately everything has led to just 1 reported flu case, he said.

Gardner said people must now “assume” they have COVID if they have respiratory symptoms.

And because it’s hard to get tested those with symptoms should automatically isolate for five if not 10 days.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today Canada expects to soon get 140 million rapids tests to spread across the country.

Gardner said Omicron has the “potential to overwhelm” the health care system with absenteeism among its workers.

He also doesn’t expect cases will drop in the next two weeks before schools are due to resume in-class studies on Jan. 17. He wouldn’t be surprised to see students still out after that date.

WEDNESDAY: COVID P.H.0. NUMBERS: … 381 CASES IN SIMCOE-MUSKOKA (389 YESTERDAY) … ONTARIO 11,582 AND 14 DEATHS (11,352-10) … TORONTO 2,524 (2,480) YORK 1,294 (1,059), PEEL 1,435 (1,486) … NORTH BAY-PARRY SOUND 36 (47) … PORCUPINE 62 (21) … KINGSTON 144 (102) … HALTON 511 (466) …

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

• 23,887 cases to date
• 1,175 cases this week
• 3,529 cases last week (starting December 26), which was more than double the 1,644 cases reported for the week of December 19
• From December 22 there have been 6,343 confirmed COVID-19 cases among vaccinated individuals
• 1 death in January, 9 in December, 14 in November, 5 each in October and September
• From November 7 to January 1 the rate of COVID-19 infection among the unvaccinated vaccine-eligible Simcoe Muskoka population is two times higher than it is for fully vaccinated population and the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations is 17 times higher.
• 3,658 Delta cases
• 167 Omicron cases
• 1,733 cases await confirmation of variant
• 1,123,936 vaccines have been administered
• 486,701 residents have received at least one vaccine, which represents 81% of the total population
• 85% of the population 5+ have had at least one dose of vaccine including 82% of youth 12 to 17 years of age
• 41% of children 5 to 11 have received at least one vaccine

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

• PEI has been hit with 222 cases today for an active case total of 1,387.
• Quebec, with 14,486 cases today, has 1,750 in hospital, including 321 overnight. They also add that PCR tests won’t be available to the pubic.
• Ontario has 2,081 in hospital and a positivity rate of 28.1 per cent. Its ICUs have 288 patients.
• 90.1 per cent of Ontarians have had one dose and 88.2 per cent two.
• There have been 23,887 cases in Simcoe-Muskoka.
• Winnipeg police say they have “emergency” shortages with 90 workers off.
• Swiss officials have been rebuffed by the IOC in calling for talks about postponing the Olympics. The Games will go on in Beijing next month says the IOC, which wouldn’t even entertain any discussion at this late date.
• Polish President Andrzej Dudo and U.K. Labour and Opposition Leader Keir Starmer have tested positive.
• Israel, which opened to tourism after two years then immediately closed after a week or so, now has record daily cases.

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