The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported 41 new COVID-19 cases, while also removing six previously reported cases from the cumulative total in today's report (March 18). There were no local deaths reported today.
Four of the cases removed were from a group of 42 cases from a Barrie testing centre reported as positive when they were negative. Since yesterday, 39 of those 42 cases have been removed from the list.
Residents whose tests were wrongly reported as positive will be or have been contacted directly.
There are 381 active, lab-confirmed cases in the region, most of which are in Simcoe County.
The health unit has reported 886 cases have screened positive and/or been confirmed with sequencing as variant cases, which is up by 33 cases since yesterday's update. Of those, 160 are still active cases. Screening and sequencing tests can take several days, and sometimes results are not returned until after the individual has recovered.
Sequencing tests have confirmed 260 cases of the B.1.1.7 (variant strain that originated in the UK) in Simcoe Muskoka. There have also been seven cases of the P.1 variant that first originated in Brazil in the region and one case of the B.1.351 strain that originated in South Africa.
Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 7,114 cases of COVID-19 with 6,463 of those cases recovered and 193 cases ending in death.
There are 22 people from Simcoe County hospitalized with COVID-19, which includes two new hospitalizations since yesterday.
The health unit has administered 61,388 doses of vaccines against COVID-19 in Simcoe Muskoka. For more on the province's plan to provide 29,500 vaccines to the Simcoe Muskoka region over the next two weeks, click here.
The new cases reported in Simcoe County and Muskoka District today include (case transmission is under investigation unless otherwise specified):
- Midland (6): Two youth under 18 years old, three men between 18 and 34 years old, and a man between 45 and 64 years old. One case is attributed to community transmission.
- Wasaga Beach (3): Two youth under 18 years old and a woman between 45 and 64 years old. The two youth cases are attributed to close contact.
- Barrie (7): Five people between 18 and 34 years old, one man between 35 and 44 years old and one man between 45 and 64 years old. One case is outbreak-related and one was attributed to close contact.
- Bradford West Gwillimbury (8): Two youth under 18 years old, two women and two men between 18 and 34 years old, a woman between 45 an 64 years old, and a man between 65 and 79 years old. Three cases are linked to close contact and one is attributed to community transmission.
- Innisfil (8): A youth under 18, a woman and two men between 18 and 34 years old, two men between 35 and 44 years old, a man and a woman between 45 and 64 years old. Two cases are linked to close contact and two are attributed to community transmission.
- Ramara (1): A woman between 18 and 34 years old whose case was community-acquired.
- Severn (1): A woman between 65 and 79 years old whose case is attributed to close contact.
- Georgian Bay (1): A man between 65 and 79 years old whose case is linked to close contact.
- New Tecumseth (5): A woman and a man between 18 and 34 years old, a woman and a man between 35 and 44 years old, and a man between 45 and 64 years old. Three cases are linked to close contact and two are attributed to community transmission.
- There is one case with the location information listed as pending.
For a list of ongoing outbreaks at institutions, long-term care and retirement homes and hospitals in the region, click here.
For more on the local trajectory of COVID-19 from the health unit, click here.
| Municipality | Total cases** | Recoveries | Deaths | In Hospital | Last case reported | Weekly incidence rate*** | Cumulative incidence rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrie | 2,506 | 2,226 | 101 | 9 | Mar. 17 | 86 | 1,678 |
| Bradford W-G | 1,091 | 1,001 | 29 | 5 | Mar. 17 | 109 | 2,539 |
| New Tecumseth | 857 | 800 | 15 | 3 | Mar. 17 | 58 | 2,068 |
| Innisfil | 622 | 560 | 5 | Mar. 17 | 93 | 1,527 | |
| Orillia | 167 | 155 | 7 | Mar. 7 | 499 | ||
| Collingwood | 145 | 140 | 2 | Mar. 11 | 605 | ||
| Wasaga Beach | 147 | 134 | 3 | Mar. 17 | 22 | 639 | |
| Clearview | 76 | 72 | 3 | Mar. 4 | 514 | ||
| Springwater | 185 | 176 | 1 | Mar. 13 | 24 | 881 | |
| Midland | 140 | 123 | 6 | 1 | Mar. 17 | 28 | 781 |
| Oro-Medonte | 131 | 127 | 4 | Mar. 6 | 562 | ||
| Adj-Tosorontio | 109 | 108 | Mar. 13 | 935 | |||
| Essa | 288 | 275 | 2 | Mar. 16 | 38 | 1,204 | |
| Ramara | 56 | 51 | 2 | Mar. 17 | 539 | ||
| Tiny | 60 | 59 | 1 | Mar. 3 | 458 | ||
| Tay | 90 | 86 | 2 | Mar. 13 | 813 | ||
| Penetanguishene | 141 | 91 | 7 | 1 | Mar. 13 | 93 | 1,444 |
| Severn | 47 | 40 | 2 | 1 | Mar. 17 | 307 |
*Cumulative incidence rate is the number of cases per 100,000 people reported to date
**Total cases include the number of cases currently recovering at home as well as any that have recovered, died, or are in hospital
***Weekly incidence rate is the number of cases per 100,000 people reported for the week of Mar. 7. Where municipalities have had low or no weekly increase, no rate is included
