Simcoe Muskoka logs 31 new COVID-19 cases, student infections climb
Public health logged 31 new COVID-19 positive cases in Simcoe Muskoka on Friday as student cases climb.
Most of Friday's cases are in Barrie (11), Innisfil (4), Springwater (4), and Essa (2).
Half of those who tested positive are unvaccinated, either because they refuse or are not yet eligible, while the remaining are fully vaccinated.
A dozen cases reported are due to close contact with a positive case. Four are community-acquired, and one is outbreak-related. The remaining are under investigation.
There are 171 active cases in the region, including 12 hospitalizations, one more than yesterday.
COVID-19 SCHOOL OUTBREAKS
The health unit said the outbreak at St. Marie of the Incarnation in Bradford is the largest outbreak in a school since the start of the pandemic, with 21 student cases.
Simcoe Muskoka's associate medical officer of health, Dr. Colin Lee, said during a Q&A with parents Thursday night that the goal is to keep schools open.
Lee said the risk of transmission among students remains low with safety measures in place, including cohorting, masking and physical distancing.
"We haven't seen any transmission between cohorts, like between Grade 1 and Grade 2 or during recess or other activities that mix classes.
And that really speaks to the effectiveness of the precautions of limiting inter-cohort mixing during regular school days and as of October first, no cohort mixing at all," Lee said.
He added that in the case of St. Marie of the Incarnation, 21 cases among a student body of more than 800 was not concerning enough to close the school. He noted that the infection was transmitted mainly within a single cohort and siblings.
Additionally, the number of students infected at Orchard Park Elementary School in Orillia has jumped to 10 since the outbreak was declared on Oct. 5.
W.C. Little Elementary School in Barrie has four confirmed cases among students.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.