COVID-19 wastewater data indicates slight increasing trend in cases
COVID-19 wastewater surveillance data in Simcoe Muskoka reveals a "slight increasing trend" over the past three weeks, but the former president of the Ontario Medical Association says he doesn't feel it's cause for concern.
While it's "important" to follow wastewater trends, Dr. Sohail Gandhi said it isn't the most significant factor.
"The two most important numbers continue to be the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 and the number of people in ICU with COVID-19, and those numbers continue to decrease," Dr. Gandhi noted.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit said samples collected in Barrie and Midland show small proportions of the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron.
The health unit said a "sharp peak in wastewater signal" was found in samples collected in Collingwood but noted the difficulty interpreting the patterns "as wastewater samples are only collected once per week in Collingwood."
Still, Dr. Gandhi said that learning to live with COVID-19 means people could become infected, but "most of those cases are very short-lived, they are two to three days of a flu-like illness, and then people get better."
The health unit reports 14 people with COVID-19 are currently hospitalized in the region, three of those are in the ICU.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Johnston to launch foreign interference hearings in July, calls allegations of bias 'quite simply false'
Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference David Johnston calls the allegations swirling around his objectivity 'quite simply false,' and said Tuesday he plans to push ahead with his work, launching public hearings next month

Ford calls for ouster, Poilievre decries Liberal response to Bernardo prison transfer
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the Liberals to keep "multiple murderers" in maximum-security prison, as fallout continues over the transfer of convicted killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security institution in Quebec.
Sex harassment case involving Trudeau Foundation should be heard in N.L., lawyer says
The lawyer representing a woman who alleges she was sexually harassed by a former Northwest Territories premier says her client would likely have to end her lawsuit if a judge determines the trial should be moved to Quebec.
Conservative filibuster threatens potential citizenship for children born abroad
Andrea Fessler found out her third daughter didn't qualify for Canadian citizenship -- even though her two older daughters did -- when she arrived at the Canadian consulate in Hong Kong to register.
Rent across Canada climbs to 20 per cent above pandemic lows: report
Across Canada, the average price of rent climbed back up after pandemic lows, with the monthly rate new tenants face now 20 per cent higher than it was two years ago, according to just-released rental data.
Charges dropped against Alberta woman accused of mailing animals
Crown prosecutors say charges against an Alberta woman accused of mailing two puppies and a kitten have been dropped.
Internal docs suggest Trudeau wants China blocked from Pacific Rim trade deal
While the Liberals insist a Pacific Rim trade bloc should welcome anyone who meets its standards, an internal document suggests Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants China kept out.
PGA Tour and European tour agree to merge with Saudis and end LIV Golf feud
The PGA Tour ended its expensive fight with Saudi Arabia's golf venture and now is joining forces with it, making a stunning announcement Tuesday of a merger that creates a commercial operation with the Public Investment Fund and the European tour.
Severely entangled humpback whale rescued off Haida Gwaii, B.C.
Video shows Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) staff leading the rescue of a severely entangled humpback whale off the coast of British Columbia last week.