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Simcoe Muskoka logs 236 new COVID-19 cases since Friday

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The Simcoe Muskoka health unit reports 236 new COVID-19 cases since Friday, as concerns mount with a new COVID-19 variant in Ontario. the holidays bring new concerns with rising infection numbers.

Most of the new cases are listed in Barrie (81), Bradford (31), and Innisfil (23).

There are 831 active cases in Simcoe Muskoka, including 30 hospitalizations.

Last week, there were 578 total cases reported to the health unit, 16 per cent higher than the 499 cases reported the week prior.

Still, Dr. Sohail Gandhi says he's not worried as he expected overwhelming numbers by this time.

"I'm not quite as concerned about case counts mostly because I honestly thought that the case counts would be higher at this stage of the game," the Stayner physician and former president of the Ontario Medical Association says.

Dr. Gandhi says he's closely watching the number of infected patients needing hospital beds. "We really need to closely watch that and make sure that those numbers don't get too much higher to protect all of us."

The health unit has declared outbreaks in 31 settings, including 22 local schools.

A complete list of active school outbreaks across Simcoe Muskoka is available here.

Meanwhile, the outbreak among Wasaga Beach staff, including the mayor and several firefighters, has ended.

Plus, an outbreak in a medical unit at Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital has also been declared over.

Now, concerns remain around the new Omicron variant with the holiday season ramping up social gatherings.

"It spreads very, very easily," Dr. Gandhi noted about the new variant. "I suspect by this time next week, we'll be saying that Omicron is the most transmissible of all the COVID variants."

Dr. Gandhi says preliminary numbers suggest Omicron may not be as "deadly or as powerful an infection as the Delta strain."

Health experts caution you to keep your guard up and remain vigilant with safety measures.

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