Ford says Ontario will 'revisit' possibility of separating Simcoe Muskoka's health unit borders
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Record-breaking N.B. lottery winner kept winning ticket on dresser for nearly a year
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Gangs netting up to US$3 trillion a year as Southeast Asia human trafficking becomes a global crisis, Interpol says
Human trafficking-fuelled fraud is exploding in Southeast Asia with organized crime rings raking in close to US$3 trillion in illicit revenue annually, the head of Interpol has said in comments that reveal the huge profits being earned by cartels.