Simcoe Muskoka declared hot spot for Delta variant accelerating 2nd doses
Ontario declared Simcoe Muskoka one of the province's Delta variant hot spots, accelerating timelines to book second vaccines for many residents.
Starting Wednesday, residents who had their first mRNA vaccine on or before May 30 can book their second vaccine.
The province also said adults 18 and older who got a shot before May 31 would be able to book their second dose starting June 28.
Children 12 to 17 will be eligible to book their second Pfizer shot starting sometime in August.
Additionally, residents who received AstraZeneca as their first dose will be eligible to book their second dose at an eight to 12-week interval.
The news comes as the region reports its lowest COVID-19 daily case counts in months. On Thursday, the health unit logged 12 new infections, and nine the day before.
Still, the Simcoe Muskoka health unit has confirmed 18 local cases identified as the more transmissible Delta variant as of Thursday.
The health unit has an additional 676 cases that screened positive for a variant of concern but require further testing to identify the strain.
The region's medical officer of health said the Delta variant was about 50 per cent more contagious, adding residents with only one dose of the vaccine are believed to be less protected against it.
"The Delta variant, that is increasing in prevalence, and we expect to become the dominant as a strain, really requires a second dose of immunization to be well-protected," said Dr. Charles Gardner during a live COVID-19 update.
The health unit anticipates more vaccine shipments this week. "We will be receiving some 20,000 doses to our area of Moderna, on top of the 30,000 doses of Pfizer," Gardner noted.
To date, 62 per cent of Simcoe Muskoka residents received one dose of the vaccine, while 12 per cent have had both.
There are currently 10 regions considered hot spots, Toronto, Peel Region, Porcupine, Waterloo, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, Halton Region, Hamilton, Durham and York Region.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.