Nearly 100 new COVID-19 cases, plus one death reported in Simcoe Muskoka

The Simcoe Muskoka health unit reports 96 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, plus one virus-related death.

The region has logged 282 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic, including two so far this month.

The health unit says a Simcoe County man in his 80s passed away after contracting COVID-19, noting his death is not related to an outbreak.

More than half the latest cases are among unvaccinated residents, while 38 are breakthrough infections.

The number of active cases across Simcoe Muskoka has increased to 861, including 28 hospitalizations.

Half a dozen cases are listed in Muskoka, while most in Simcoe County are in Barrie, Innisfil, and Springwater.

There are 37 total active outbreaks, 30 of which with known variant cases.

The region has 28 outbreaks in local schools. A complete list of schools with active outbreaks is available here.

As the COVID-19 variant Omicron spreads across the province, Simcoe Muskoka has yet to confirm a single case.

However, the region's medical officer of health believes it's only a matter of time.

"Clearly, we have reason to be concerned with COVID-19, and its new variant Omicron, and its heightened potential for transmission," said Dr. Charles Gardner.

"We may very well see a large rise in cases related to this over the holiday season and beyond," he added.

A cluster of possible Omicron cases is yet to be confirmed in Simcoe County after a family of seven recently returned from a trip to Nigeria.

The health unit has suggested tightened restrictions would be introduced this week ahead of holiday gatherings to try and curb transmission.

Dr. Gardner will hold a virtual COVID-19 update for the region on Wed., Dec. 15, at 1:30 ET.

The briefing will be streamed live on CTVNewsBarrie.ca and the CTV News app.

Meanwhile, Ontario reported 1,429 new COVID-19 infections, plus five deaths on Tuesday.