COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations rise among those immunized in Simcoe Muskoka
Vaccination rates across Simcoe Muskoka have risen above 80 per cent, but the number of immunized patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 has also increased.
The region's medical officer of health said the number of "breakthrough cases" would continue to rise.
There are currently eight COVID-19 positive patients in local hospitals, half of whom are vaccinated.
"Three of the four in the intensive care unit were fully immunized," said Dr. Charles Gardner during a COVID-19 update on Wednesday.
The region's top doctor noted that 39 per cent of cases in the past week were "breakthrough cases," meaning fully vaccinated individuals.
Still, he said this isn't unexpected.
"The proportion of our cases that are breakthrough cases will go up over time. That does not change the degree of protection for people who received immunization," Gardner said.
The medical officer added that the vaccine offers a "high degree of protection" against COVID-19.
"In fact, if you're not immunized, you're 10 times more likely to become a case and 23 times more likely to be admitted to the hospital," Gardner said.
He mentioned the rise in vaccinated patients or cases is due to the widespread vaccination coverage for the region's population.
"We expect it to increase over time because it is partly a function of how complete our vaccination coverage is for the population," he noted.
Despite the rise in vaccinated cases, local case counts have fallen in five of the past six weeks.
However, Gardner said it's still too early to know what, if any, impact Thanksgiving get-togethers will have on infection rates.
This time last year, cases surged 15 per cent.
With files from CTV's Mike Arsalides
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

2 young boys dead, mother in critical condition after incident in Scarborough
Toronto police say a homicide investigation is underway after an incident at a Scarborough apartment building Sunday night left two young boys dead and their mother in critical condition.
Seniors over 87 can apply to join federal dental plan starting next week
The federal government hopes to avoid gumming up the works of its new dental-insurance plan by gradually phasing in enrolment over the course of the next year, Health Minister Mark Holland said Monday.
Grocer profits set to exceed record in 2023, expert says, ahead of committee meeting
Profits in the Canadian grocery sector will likely exceed $6 billion in 2023, setting a new record as they rise eight per cent from last year, according to the Centre for Future Work. New research by the progressive research institute found that food retailers are now earning more than twice as much profit as they did pre-pandemic.
'I know I messed up': House Speaker Fergus challenged by MPs probing video controversy
A repentant Greg Fergus testified Monday before his peers about what he says was his unintentional participation in a partisan provincial Liberal party event in early December, telling MPs that as the House of Commons Speaker, he knows he 'messed up.'
Widow takes Ontario police to court over declaration misconduct in her husband's death was 'not serious'
A grieving widow is taking the Ontario Provincial Police to court as she challenges its decision to call the misconduct of an officer that contributed to her husband’s death 'not of a serious nature.'
Three dead after shed fire outside northwest Calgary hardware store
Three people were found dead in the Crowfoot Crossing area of northwest Calgary on Monday after a fire.
Canadians Googled a lot of things in 2023, here are some of the top queries
From the Women's World Cup and Jeremy Renner to the Titan submersible, deadly earthquakes and the war in Gaza, Canadians searched far and wide on Google this year. These are the top queries in Canada for 2023.
Mild temperatures are breaking records across Canada, here’s where
Soaring temperatures are being felt across Canada with some cities breaking decades-long heat records. Here's where.
Israel battles Hamas in Gaza's main cities, with civilians trapped in the fighting
Israeli forces battled Palestinian militants in Gaza's two largest cities on Monday, with civilians still trapped in the fighting even after hundreds of thousands have fled to other parts of the besieged territory.