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
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with 'outrageously powerful' AI-powered chip
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.