STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION TODAY — BUT STILL 1 CASE IN BRACEBRIDGE

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — It’s one step forward for Ontario and 8 back in the region today as the health unit is reporting 1 COVID case in Bracebridge and 7 in Simcoe.

The Muskoka man is between the ages of 18 and 24. He had close contact before being reported to public health yesterday. His first episode was Saturday.

The other cases were 4 in Innisfil, 2 in Bradford-West Gwillimbury and 1 in Clearview.

This on the eve of Canada’s 154th birthday as people coast to coast to coast prepare to pause and remember the good, the bad and the ugly of the country’s rich history.

Provincewide there were 184 cases and 14 deaths (yesterday those numbers were 299-25).

Toronto saw 17 after 130 Tuesday, York had 5 (4) and Peel 16 (20). North Bay-Parry Sound reported 4, the same as the day before. Porcupine had 3 (8).

Today more restrictions were lifted in Ontario on public outings and vaccines opened more — but not all — doors to business.

And while Health Canada guidance on gatherings offered more freedoms to congregate without masks and within two metres, Delta variants concerns remain real.

There have been 52 cases the past two days in the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.

So Canada Day comes with a warning to celebrate not too closely.

Feel free to ask if the person next to you has been double vacc’d.

Or at least had their first dose.

If not … be smart and keep your distance.

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

  • 12,275 cases to date
  • 12 cases this week, 40 last week, which was 38% lower than the 64 cases reported for the week of June 13
  • 3,988 Alpha variants, 164 Gamma, 32 Beta, 52 Delta
  • 670 cases have screened positive awaiting confirmation of VOC
  • 560,600+ vaccines have been administered in Simcoe Muskoka
  • 392,750+ residents have received their first vaccine, which represents 65% of the population.
  • 75% of adults 18+ have had at least one vaccine
  • 55% of youth 12 to 17 have had their first vaccine.
Simcoe-Muskoka reports 12 cases so far this week. Reporting will continue Friday after the holiday break July 1.

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

  • Britain has now begun planning for booster shots for the elderly and vulnerable later this fall. Shot No. 3 has officially been decided by the government, which was criticized for being slow off the mark in the first wave.
  • While today’s opening bodes well for an impending boom, Canada’s GDP shrunk in April over March amid early hopes of a recovery. Back in February the value of the country’s economy was just over $2 trillion. Now that’s $1.978 trillion, after bottoming out in April at just more than $1.6 trillion, show latest figures from Stats Canada.
  • After faring relatively well for much of the pandemic, the Yukon is in the throes of “wide community transmission” with 131 cases — despite 60 per cent of residents fully vaccinated, which is the highest of the provinces and territories.
We’re still not out of the woods yet with 8 cases today. So even if you’re double vaccinated like this colour-co-ordinated lady, it’s still a best practice to question whether others are, too. And, of course, masks are still mandatory inside businesses.

Email [email protected]

28 years of ‘Local Online Journalism’

Twitter: @muskokatoday, Facebook: mclairmont1

Leave comments at end of story

SUBSCRIBE for $25 by e-transferring to [email protected]

Or go online to https://muskokatoday.com/subscriptions