BARRIE -- The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) has identified four new cases of COVID-19 in Simcoe County on Tuesday.
These latest numbers bring the health unit's total confirmed cases to 14, including two deaths. According to the health unit, six of those people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
The most recent cases include a 52-year-old Adjala-Tosorontio man who recently travelled to the United States and an Orillia woman in her 70s who the health unit says contracted the virus through community transmission.
"We are definitely seeing the onset of community-acquired cases transmission in our communities. And we have had a significant number of cases that are severe cases requiring hospital admission," says SMDHU Medical Officer of Health Dr. Charles Gardner.
In all, four people are in the hospital with COVID-19 symptoms.
As assessment centres open across the region, the health unit believes it will have a centre approved by the province in the next week or two for Muskoka.
In Barrie, patients with symptoms of the virus who have been seen by a medical professional are now being tested from their vehicles at a new drive-thru clinic.
"If you believe you have symptoms you can't manage at home, come to the assessment centre," says Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre President and CEO Janice Skot. "Be seen by a health professional, and they will determine whether or not to take the next step - which would be Clinic C here - a drive-thru."
The assessment centre in Barrie is located on Huronia Road.
Seven new cases of the virus were reported in York Region on Tuesday, bringing the total to 70, including one death.
On Monday, SMDHU's Medical Officer of Health issued a warning to people about the importance of physical distancing and self-isolation, saying the number of cases will only continue to rise otherwise.
The provincial number of confirmed cases rose by 85 on Tuesday, bringing the total to 588 in Ontario.
With files from CTV's Mike Arsalides
