79 new COVID cases in region today, including one Midland woman

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported 79 new COVID-19 cases in the region and one death. 

The death being reported today is a woman over the age of 80 who died Jan. 18. Her death is associated with the outbreak at Roberta Place in Barrie. 

The new cases reported today include 51 Barrie residents, nine Bradford West Gwillimbury residents, two Innisfil residents and one case each from Midland and Orillia.

Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 4,834 cases of COVID-19 with 3,366 of those cases recovered and 91 cases ending in death. There are more than 1,300 active, lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region, with the majority of those in Simcoe County.

There are at least 37 people from Simcoe County hospitalized.

Collingwood General and Marine Hospital reported staff are currently caring for one COVID positive inpatient.

There have been more than 13,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine administered in Simcoe Muskoka to health care workers in local hospitals, long-term care and retirement homes. More than 420 individuals have received both doses of the vaccine.

The health unit also reported today all eligible residents in long-term care homes across the region have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. 

The new cases reported in Simcoe County and Muskoka District today include:

• Midland (1): A woman between 18 and 34 years old whose case is outbreak-related.
• Collingwood (1): A woman between 18 and 34 years old.
• Clearview (1): A woman between 35 and 44 years old. 
• Barrie (51): A girl under 18 years old, six women and six men between 18 and 34 years old, four women and four men between 35 and 44 years old, three women and three men between 45 and 64 years old, four women and three men between 65 and 79 years old, and 16 women and a man over 80. Of the new cases reported in Barrie today, 28 are outbreak-related, 10 are linked to close contact, and seven are attributed to community transmission.
• Innisfil (2): A boy under 18 (outbreak-related), and a woman between 45 and 64 years old (close contact). 
• Bradford West Gwillimbury (9): A woman and three men between 18 and 34 years old, a man between 35 and.44 years old, two women between 45 and 64 years old, a man between 65 and 79 years old and a woman over 80 years old. One case is outbreak-related, three are community-acquired, and one is linked to close contact.
• Orillia (1): A woman between 18 and 34 years old whose case is outbreak-related. 
• Essa (2): A woman between 18 and 34 years old and a man between 35 and 44 years old, both cases are attributed to community transmission. 
• Oro-Medonte (1): A man between 45 and 64 years old whose case is linked to close contact.  
• Adjala-Tosorontio (2): A man between 18 and 34 years old (close contact), and a man between 45 and 64 years old (community-acquired). 
• New Tecumseth (8): Three girls under 18, a woman and a man between 18 and 34 years old, a woman between 35 and 44 years old, and two men between 45 and 64 years old. Two cases are linked to close contact and two are attributed to community transmission.

The health unit has also declared COVID outbreaks (all of which are still ongoing) at the following health care facilities: 

• Trillium Manor, Orillia, Dec. 14
• Georgian Manor, Penetanguishene, Dec. 27
• Villa Retirement Lodge, Midland, Jan 2
• Grove Park Home (Aspen), Barrie, Jan. 4
• Roberta Place (Long-term care home), Barrie, Jan. 8
• Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (two units), Barrie, Jan. 9
• Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care (Awenda A&B), Penetanguishene, Jan. 9
• Waterford Retirement Community (phase 2), Barrie, Jan. 12
• Bradford Valley Care Community (facility-wide), Bradford, Jan. 14
• IOOF (Baldwin Lane), Barrie, Jan. 15

The provincial government requires an outbreak be declared at a retirement or long-term care home where one staff or resident tests positive. There does not have to be evidence of spread within the home for an outbreak to be declared. In most other cases, the health unit does not declare an outbreak unless there is evidence of transmission at the facility. 

For more one the local trajectory of COVID-19 from the health unit, click here.

*Incidence rate is number of cases per 100,000 people for the week of Jan. 10.

**Total cases includes the number of cases currently recovering at home as well as any that have recovered, died, or are in hospital