Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — A fourth vaccine coming possibly later this year has the health unit already planning how to re-arm you.

“As we move towards a ‘learning to live with COVID-19’ approach,” Dr. Charles Gardner said today: “It does not mean that it is gone or that the pandemic is over. We are still experiencing a substantial amount of transmission in our communities. With the easing of public health measures there is the potential for some increase in transmission in the weeks to come.

“I believe that we are likely to experience a significant reduction in transmission later in the spring and summer.

“However, new and potentially more transmissible variants of concern of COVID-19 may arise at any point, and due to its seasonality it is likely that we will also see some increased COVID-19 transmission in the fall and winter to come.”

He said “although more than 80 per cent of our eligible population is vaccinated with their first and second dose, there is still a percentage who have not been vaccinated, and almost half (47%) of those eligible have not received a booster dose.”

So “if and when the province directs us” to issue fourth doses it will be important to have had the first three shots you’re eligible for.

“We’re certainly recommending that people get all that they can.”

More than 85 per cent of Canadians 5+ are now fully vaccinated.

With 214 new cases the past two days since Monday, in Simcoe-Muskoka, the region’s medical officer of health says in a special statement that “Although public safety measures have been lifted, we must remember … we are still experiencing a substantial amount of transmission in our communities. With the easing of public health measures there is the potential for some increase in transmission in the weeks to come.”

That as the province reported 54 cases today and 63 yesterday within the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU).

That’s as the health unit today reports 231 cases this week and 590 last week — which was 36% higher than the 433 cases the week before.

Gauging the severity of COVID going ahead remains a tricky predicament as the health unit tracks only high-risk and congregate setting cases, admitted Gardner in his final regular media press conference today after two years.

While adding in a special statement that there are “countless more unreported cases,” he said “as always” the pandemic response has been about hospitalizations, which were at 20 Wednesday with 4 in ICU.

Of the recent hospitalizations, 70 per cent were age 65 or older — including 2 from Muskoka.

Thirty per cent were unvaccinated and 20 per cent had had two doses.

Be ‘kind, respectful’ of others’ mask choices

Gardner also asks that all residents “be patient, kind and compassionate towards others, respecting their choice whether or not they continue to wear a mask in public and to take the other precautions that I have advised, and to respect the choice of businesses and organizations that may keep in place policies requiring these measures.”

Omicron can still occur among those vaccinated (although this is reduced with a booster dose, and two and three dose vaccination does substantially reduce the risk of severity), and he says mask use, physical distancing, ensuring HVAC systems are maintained and in good working order and hand washing and sanitizers are reduce risk.

Self-isolating when ill is still needed.

Many in the community remain at high risk of severity and death and “your actions can help protect them from getting the virus while protecting yourself,” Gardner said.

37,445 cases since March 11, 2020

As far as the health unit says it knows for sure, confirmed cases to date since March 11, 2020 are 37,445.

Fifth wave deaths since December 2020 include 151 people — with an average of 10 per week. That compares to 143 in the second wave — and 5 deaths per week.

The past two weeks 16 deaths have been reported, including 1 in Muskoka.

Gardner also added that 45 per cent of deaths in the fifth wave were outbreaks.

And 19 per cent of deaths this month were outbreaks in LTCs.

As of March 19 the health unit moved to walk-ins only at community vaccination clinics with reduced hours. Noon to 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends.

And as of March 31 community clinics will be closing except for Georgian Mall in Barrie and the YMCA in Orillia till end of April.

All clinics will be closed Easter weekend and holidays.

Pop-up clinics and the GOVax bus will operate in to April. And the first clinic at 29 Spirling Dr. in Barrie (where a third the region’s vaccinations have taken place) will continue to operate.

On March 21 all masking requirements were lifted in all settings except in public transportation, healthcare, long-term care and other congregate settings. These changes are happening with the decline in transmission and hospitalization that has taken place following the peak of the fifth wave of COVID-19 – arguably the most severe pandemic wave to date due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

Final restrictions are due to be lifted next week.

WEDNESDAY CONFIRMED PHO COVID CASES: 54 IN SIMCOE-MUSKOKA (63 YESTERDAY) … ONTARIO 1,447 AND 7 DEATHS); 611 IN HOPITAL; 174 IN ICU … TORONTO 322 (264) … YORK 95 (95) … PEEL 101 (60) … NORTH BAY-PARRY SOUND 18 (9) …

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

• 37,445 confirmed cases to date, since March 11, 2020
• 231 cases this week
• 590 last week, 36% higher than the 433 cases the week before
• 16 deaths in March, 53 in February, 74 in January
• From July 18 to March 22, the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations among the unvaccinated vaccine-eligible Simcoe Muskoka population is 4 times higher than it is for those who have received at least two vaccine doses, the rate of COVID-19 ICU admissions is 8 times higher and the rate of deaths is 3 times higher.
• 1,280,842 vaccines have been administered
• 497,570 residents have received at least one vaccine, which represents 81% of the total population
• 85% of the population 5+ have had at least one vaccine, including 81% of youth 12 to 17
• 49% of children 5 to 11 have also received at least one dose of vaccine

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

• Anti-mask protests at the Halifax area home of Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health the past three days have led to criminal harassment charges against two men, aged 31 and 36, Mounties say. They have also been charged with intimidation of a health professional, mischief and making harassing phone calls.
• A third of countries in Europe, including Germany, France and the U.K., are seeing cases surge after “brutally” easing restrictions, the World Health Organization’s regional head said.
• U.K. cases have risen the past two weeks to more than 75,500 a day. That’s way more than  first wave levels when there was less testing.
• Travel to and from Canada in January up compared to 2021 according to Statistics Canada. But still far les than 2020. Trips by U.S. residents to Canada in January were 218,600, up from 86,500 a year earlier, yet still short of the 1.2 million in January 2020.
• The number of residents of countries other than the U.S. arriving in Canada in January totalled 79,700, up from 34,500 in January 2021, however that total was nearly 365,600 in January 2020. Meanwhile Canadian residents returned from 690,200 trips to the States in January, up from 265,000 the year before — a fraction of the 3.1 million trips in January before the pandemic began.
• Hillary Clinton has tested positive with mild symptoms; her husband Bill was negative.
• Moderna’s says its new vaccine “works” for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers — and if U.S. regulators agree may see them get injections this summer.
• South Africa no longer requires masks outdoors and vaccinated travellers entering the country don’t need a negative PCR tests.
• China is back to building  60 makeshift hospitals as cases rise again.
• New Zealand is easing restrictions as cases wane.

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