Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — January is proving a deadly month for COVID with 27 people in the region dying the first three weeks of 2022.

Another one was in Muskoka yesterday in a particularly fatal week with 9 deaths reported for an overall total of 17 now.

They bring to 317 the number of deaths since the coronavirus struck.

The latest 6 are:

• Male, 80+, Simcoe County, community, DOD-Jan. 20th
• Female, 65-79, Simcoe County, institutional outbreak-related, DOD Jan. 20
• Female, 80+ years, Muskoka, community, DOD Jan. 20
• Male, 80+, Simcoe County, institutional outbreak-related, DOD Jan. 20
• Female, 45-64, Simcoe County, community, DOD Jan. 20
• Female, 65-79, Simcoe County, institutional outbreak-related, DOD, Jan. 18

Hospitalizations are also on the rise with Omicron.

The health unit reports 50 people in hospital now, including a dozen more overnight.

They are among 281 being reported by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU), with 141 fully vaccinated, 41 unvaccinated and 14 partially vaccinated.

Meanwhile Simcoe-Muskoka continues to struggle reaching it and the province’s goal of 90 per cent vaccinated. In this region today’s numbers show just 81.2 per cent with first shots and 76.1 per cent fully vaccinated.

FRIDAY: CONFIRMED COVID CASES: … 299 CASES IN SIMCOE-MUSKOKA (351 YESTERDAY) … ONTARIO 7,195 AND 62 DEATHS (7,657-75) … TORONTO 1,269 (1,373), YORK 516 (643), PEEL 957 (1,006) … NORTH BAY-PARRY SOUND 44 (34) … PORCUPINE 34 (41) … KINGSTON 65 (59) … HALTON 377 (391) …

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

• 29,761 confirmed cases to date
• 1,360 cases this week
• 2,583 last week, 16% lower than the 3,091 cases the first week of January
• From December 22 there have been 9,992 cases among vaccinated individuals.
• 27 deaths in January, 10 in December
• From July 18 to January 20 the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations among the unvaccinated vaccine-eligible Simcoe Muskoka population is 9 times higher than it is for fully vaccinated population, the rate of COVID-19 ICU admissions is 17 times higher and the rate of deaths is 7 times higher.
• 298 Omicron cases, 1,682 suspected
• 1,210,290 vaccines have been administered
• 490,949 residents have received at least one dose of vaccine, which represents 81% of the total population
• 85% of the population 5+ have had at least one vaccine; including 82% of youth 12 to 17
• 43% of children 5 to 11 years of age have received at least one dose of vaccine

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

• Ontario reports 4,114 in hospital, 590 in ICU; Quebec 3,351-265 ICU; Manitoba 655-50; Saskatchewan 215-23; Alberta 1,131-108; BC 891-119; Nova Scotia 85-12; PEI 10-2; NB 12-12; NL 20
• Canadian retails sales up 0.7 per cent to $58.1 billion in November, with two-thirds of the retail sectors up.
• Booster shots aren’t widespread among those who are pregnant (20 per cent) and only 10 per cent for homeless people over 65. For the rest of the population 18+ the rate is 40 per cent.
• China has cut the Olympic torch run to three day — all within closed safe spaces.
• Montreal’s health unit has tossed out thousands of PCR tests that have taken too long to analyse.
• Quebec Premier Francois Legault says it’s too early for his province to ease more restrictions as Ontario plans to do starting Jan. 31. He says health care workers remain too vulnerable. Recently the province lifted its 10 p.m. curfew and allowed businesses to open Sundays.

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