BARRIE, ONT. -- The health unit reports 13 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, marking the second-highest weekly increase since the start of the pandemic.

There has also been one new virus-related death in the region, a man over 80. His death brings the total to 38 people who died after becoming infected in Simcoe Muskoka.

The new cases are among six Barrie residents, two Bradford residents, including a young boy, an Orillia female, an Innisfil man, a New Tecumseth woman, a Huntsville man and a Gravenhurst woman. The majority of cases are people 18 to 34, and most remain under investigation.

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The health unit said it's becoming trickier to trace where transmission occurs, whether within the household or in the community.

Dr. Colin Lee, the health unit's associate medical officer of health, suggests limiting social interactions to household members and putting off any gatherings as cases surge locally and across the province.

SMDHU