Simcoe Muskoka logs 24 new COVID-19 cases Friday
Twenty-four Simcoe Muskoka residents tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, for a total of 138 cases this week.
Among those infected, 18 are unvaccinated, three partially and three fully.
The health unit lists the new cases in Gravenhurst (4), Barrie, (3), Essa (3), Orillia (3), Huntsville (2), Innisfil (2), and single cases in Adjala-Tosorontio, Clearview, Collingwood, Lake of Bays, Penetanguishene, Wasaga Beach and Muskoka Lakes.
Stevenson Memorial Hospital's chief of staff said as the fourth wave carries on, it's not the number of cases that matter so much. It's the number of hospitalizations.
"The vaccine is intended to convert dangerous cases to mild cases. So the number of cases is not concerning, per se," Dr. Barry Nathanson said in an interview with CTV News.
"At best, by the way, vaccination confers 90 per cent protection from serious disease, but that leaves 10 per cent or so unprotected," he explained. "Those numbers translate into a number of hospitalizations."
VACCINE LATEST
In Simcoe Muskoka, 72 per cent of eligible residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Anyone born in 2009 or earlier is eligible to get vaccinated.
On Wednesday, the province announced it would implement a vaccine certificate program requiring proof of immunization to access specific indoor settings, such as restaurants, cinemas, gyms, and casinos.
Since the announcement, the Simcoe Muskoka health unit reported a jump in the number of people getting first shots.
WHERE ARE WALK-IN CLINICS OPEN
The health unit offers first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines at several locations across the region with no appointment necessary.
Here is a list of pop-up clinics open in Simcoe Muskoka this weekend:
Fri., Sept. 3
11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Shopper's Drug Mart - Georgian Mall (lower level)
509 Bayfield St.,Barrie
Sat, Sept. 4
Downtown Barrie
Dunlop St., Barrie
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Shopper's Drug Mart - Georgian Mall (lower level)
509 Bayfield St.,Barrie
11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Bracebridge Farmer's Market
Memorial Park - Manitoba St., Bracebridge (next to Norwood Theater)
8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Rivermill Park
Dara Howell Way, Huntsville
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sun., Sept.5
The 400 Market
2207 Industrial Park Rd., Innisfil
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Main Beach - Playland Park Square (parking lot)
40 Mosley St., Wasaga Beach
4:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Shopper's Drug Mart - Georgian Mall (lower level)
509 Bayfield St.,Barrie
11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Residents need to bring a health card to the clinic and be prepared to wait 15 minutes after getting their dose.
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