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Ford says Ontario will 'revisit' possibility of separating Simcoe Muskoka's health unit borders

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Barrie, Ont. -

During a visit to Muskoka on Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the province would "revisit" the Simcoe Muskoka health unit's geographical borders following ongoing conversations about possibly separating cottage country and Simcoe County.

Ford said it "wasn't fair" to lump in Muskoka with places like Barrie, where most COVID-19 cases have been concentrated throughout the pandemic.

"It's unfair to other parts of this region," he said. "It's not fair. Do you know how many times I get a call from the mayor of Huntsville, Bracebridge, Parry Sound..." Ford said. "We're going to get through this pandemic, and we're going to have a good chat, may have to redraw the boundaries."

Ford said a review regarding dividing the health unit's borders would happen with the new provincial medical officer of health.

COVID-19 CASES ACROSS SIMCOE MUSKOKA

The Simcoe Muskoka health unit logged 16 new COVID-19 cases since Friday and no new deaths.

The cases listed Monday are in Huntsville (5), Barrie (2), Ramara (2), Penetanguishene (2), Bradford West Gwillimbury (2), Adjala-Tosorontio (1), Innisfil (1), and New Tecumseth (1).

Public health reports a 39 per cent decline in weekly case counts. Last week the region had a total of 39 infections, the lowest weekly count since Sept. 2020.

There are currently 97 active cases across the region, including 12 hospitalizations.

COVID-19 TRENDS

The positivity rate in Simcoe County is nearly at par with Muskoka at 0.9 per cent compared to 1.0 per cent.

The daily moving average is below 10 cases, a far cry from the daily average of 100 cases per day in April during the peak of the third wave.

VARIANTS OF CONCERNS

There have been 4,901 variant cases confirmed across the region to date.

The UK B.1.1.7. variant remains the dominant strain in Simcoe Muskoka, with 3,985 infections identified. However, health officials warn the Delta B.1.617.2 variant, which is more contagious, could become the more aggressive strain.

To date, public health has confirmed 51 cases as the Delta variant, a significant jump from numbers released last week where Delta-identified cases were in the 30s.

VACCINATIONS IN SIMCOE MUSKOKA

Nearly 65 per cent of residents have received at least their first COVID-19 vaccination shot, with 25 per cent having had both.

Health officials report two shots of a vaccine will provide 80 per cent effectiveness in fighting the virus.

On Monday, all adults 18 and older can book their second shot, and to help that happen, immunization clinics across the region opened more appointments throughout July.

Complete information on booking an appointment is available here.

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