'We've had a dramatic drop,' Simcoe Muskoka logs 9 new COVID-19 cases

Barrie, Ont. -

The Simcoe Muskoka health unit reports its second day of single-digit COVID-19 cases Wednesday, with just nine new infections in Simcoe County.

"We've had a dramatic drop in the incidents in cases per 100,000 population per week for all of our municipalities. All of them are under 30 cases per 100,000 population per week, which is excellent," Dr. Charles Gardner said Wednesday during a live conference.

The medical officer of health flagged Oro-Medonte with the highest incidence of cases in the past week, with 26 cases per 100,000 population, compared to the provincial rate of 24 cases.

COVID-19 Deaths

No new virus-related deaths have been reported this week. So far in June, one woman died after contracting the virus, while in May, there were 18 COVID-19 deaths in Simcoe Muskoka.

Hospitalizations

There are currently 135 active cases, including 23 hospitalizations. The region's medical officer of health said Wednesday that none of the patients had received their vaccine.

Variants of Concern

Fifteen individuals have tested positive for the Delta variant B.1.617.2, which is considered 50 per cent more contagious than the original strain.

"The Delta variant is increasing in prevalence, and we expect it to become dominant as a strain, really requires a second dose of immunization to be well protected," Gardner noted.

The UK B.1.1.7 variant remains the most commonly identified in the region, with nearly 4,000 confirmed cases.

Additionally, cases have tested positive for the P.1 and the B.1.351 variant.

Another 676 cases have screened positive for a variant of concern and require further testing.

Vaccinations

"As time goes on, we get more and more vaccinations from the province," Gardner said.

To date, 62 per cent of residents in Simcoe Muskoka have rolled up their sleeves for their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 12 per cent have had both shots.

Complete information on Simcoe Muskoka's COVID-19 vaccination plan is available here, including how to book an appointment.