Simcoe Muskoka hospital officials sound alarm about rising COVID-19 levels
Simcoe Muskoka hospital officials sound alarm about rising COVID-19 levels
Hospital chiefs of staff in North Simcoe Muskoka wrote a joint letter warning about rising COVID-19 levels following the health unit voicing concerns on rapidly growing wastewater signs.
"The level of COVID-19 in the North Simcoe Muskoka region is on the rise," the letter issued Tuesday states.
The physicians point to an increase in the region's positivity rate and hospitalizations.
"Hospitalizations are experiencing record levels of staff and physician absence due to illness and exposure to COVID at home, in schools, and in the community," it reads.
"We are concerned about everyone and the impact on our ability to provide timely care."
Simcoe Muskoka's chief medical officer of health (MOH), Dr. Charles Gardner, held a COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday, urging residents to continue wearing masks, noting a jump in case counts since the province lifted mandates.
"We have seen elevated case counts," Dr. Gardner said. "The pandemic is not over, and we cannot let our guard down."
The province removed mask mandates in most indoor settings on March 21.
According to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU), the region saw a 79 per cent increase in case counts in the first week of April compared to the weeks before mandates were removed.
The SMDHU reports the region's sharp spike outpaced the province's incidence rate at that time.
"The number of cases, outbreaks and hospitalizations we are seeing in Simcoe Muskoka is very concerning," Dr. Gardner noted.
In the letter, the region's seven hospital chiefs of staff and the MOH "highly recommend" four ways to protect against COVID-19 and help slow the spread.
Get vaccinated with all eligible doses;
Limit close contacts;
Wear a mask in indoor public spaces; and
Stay home if sick and get tested with a rapid test at home or, if eligible, a PCR test.
Local health officials encourage limiting Easter weekend gatherings to household members or holding outdoor or virtual gatherings.
"Virtual gatherings or events are still the safest way to celebrate, and if you opt to host or attend a gathering or event, remember that outdoor gatherings are safer than those held indoors," the SMDHU stated.
On Thursday, Premier Doug Ford said he would extend the remaining mask mandates, which require masks in health-care settings, if Ontario's top doctor recommended.
Masking in retirement homes, long-term care homes, hospitals and public transit are set to expire on April 27.
Ontario's top doctor has yet to recommend extending that timeline, only saying he is considering it amid the sixth wave.
Meanwhile, the province's science advisory table's latest modelling points to COVID-19 transmission possibly having peaked, but the experts noted it's uncertain which way the trend will shift.
Ontario's expert group said the modelling suggests hospitalizations and ICU admissions would rise but wouldn't likely hit levels recorded during the previous wave.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to meet with Vladimir Putin in a political boost for the isolated Russian president after the International Criminal Court charged him with war crimes in Ukraine.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
Police are giving an update on last week's fire in Old Montreal that killed at least one person and left six missing. Fire services began partially dismantling the building over the weekend, uncovering one body Sunday evening. Several units in the building were unauthorized short-term rentals, or Airbnbs.
Even at one of the tallest natural peaks on Earth, humans have left their mark in a trail of bacteria as researchers have found germs from coughing and sneezing that have been potentially preserved for centuries on Mount Everest.
Shares of Credit Suisse plunged 63 per cent in early trading Monday after the announcement that banking giant UBS would buy its troubled rival for almost US$3.25 billion in a deal orchestrated by regulators to stave off further market-shaking turmoil in the global banking system.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for a national standardized testing process to be created in order to speed up the licensing process for doctors and nurses who are either immigrants or were trained abroad.
The University of Prince Edward Island Faculty Association says its staff has gone on strike after what it says are failed attempts to enter additional negotiations with the university's administration.
The student union president at Cape Breton University said food insecurity has become a concern for many students and the on-campus food bank cannot keep up with demand.
The University of Prince Edward Island coach is defending the team’s actions, after the University of Alberta team skated off the ice without handshakes at the U Sports Men’s Hockey National Championship in Charlottetown.
Police are giving an update on last week's fire in Old Montreal that killed at least one person and left six missing. Fire services began partially dismantling the building over the weekend, uncovering one body Sunday evening. Several units in the building were unauthorized short-term rentals, or Airbnbs.
Two families were displaced early Monday morning after a fire ripped through a building in Montreal's Quartier Latin. No one was injured, according to the Montreal fire department (SIM).
The Rideau McDonald's Farewell March brought people from across the city, some dressed in costumes, who wanted to say goodbye to a part of what they say makes Ottawa Ottawa.
If you are yearning to walk the trails around Mud Lake in the Britannia Conservation Area, be aware there are wild turkeys looking for mates. A gang of three have been chasing and pecking at visitors to the nature trail for weeks.
March 20 marks the first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere, and, after a long, grey winter, Torontonians can soon look forward to warmer temperatures and sunnier days.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
A community is in mourning after a 10-year-old girl was killed earlier this week when flames tore through her family’s camping trailer southeast of Brantford.
St. Patrick's day street parties in Waterloo, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau making an announcement in Guelph, and a woman charged with defrauding doulas round out the most-read stories of the week.
Lane restrictions are now in place on Wellington Street as construction gets underway on Phase 1 of the Wellington Gateway and Municipal Infrastructure Improvements project.
The first day of spring in the London region will be a beautiful one. The daytime high is forecast to be 6 C, slightly warmer than the average high for this time of year.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
The investigation into a house explosion in Windsor will continue Monday. The process wrapped up for the day around 7 p.m. at the scene on Aspen Lane in east Windsor.
The first day of spring in Windsor-Essex will be a beautiful one. The daytime high is forecast to be 9 C, nearly 2 C warmer than the average high for this time of year.
The Town of Strathmore and Siksika Nation hosted the first Lead By Example Powwow this weekend in honour of a young Indigenous man who was shot to death four years ago.
Autopsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death for two constables responding to a domestic dispute Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service says.
Autopsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death for two constables responding to a domestic dispute Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service says.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in 'What Happened to Ben' on CTV W5.
Vancouver firefighters were called to the Downtown Eastside Sunday evening after a fire destroyed multiple tents in an encampment and spread to a building near Main and East Hastings streets.
An international student was swarmed and beaten by a group of people who ripped off his turban and dragged him across the sidewalk by his hair in Kelowna, B.C., Friday evening, according to a local politician.
