Two local residents among 112 new COVID-19 cases in Simcoe County today

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported 112 new COVID-19 cases in the region today, and seven deaths. 

All seven deaths were residents of Roberta Place long-term care home in Barrie. They include a man and a woman over 80 years old who died on Jan. 21, three women over 80  who died on Jan. 20, a woman between 65 and 79 years old who died on Jan. 20 and a man over 80 who died Jan. 10. 

Yesterday, Roberta Place reported there have been 25 resident deaths since the start of the outbreak on Jan. 8.

The new cases reported today include one resident each from Midland and Tay Township as well as 65 Barrie residents, 16 Bradford West Gwillimbury residents, 10 Innisfil residents and three Orillia residents.

Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 5,052 cases of COVID-19 with 3,756 of those cases recovered and 108 cases ending in death. There are 1,159 active, lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region, with the majority of those in Simcoe County. 

There are 34 people from Simcoe County hospitalized, which includes four new hospitalizations reported today.

There have been 14,583 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, as well as to all eligible long-term care home residents. No doses were administered yesterday. 

As was reported yesterday, and is unchanged today, 927 individuals from the region have received both doses of the vaccine.

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

• Midland (1): A woman between 45 and 64 years old whose case is outbreak-related. 
• Tay (1): A man between 65 and 79 years old whose case is attributed to community transmission.
• Barrie (65): A boy under 18, three women, six men, and one person between 18 and 34, two women and three men between 35 and 44 years old, six women and four men between 45 and 64 years old, eight women and seven men between 65 and 79 years old, and 20 women and four men over 80 years old. Twenty-six cases are outbreak-related, seven are linked to close contact, and two are attributed to community transmission. 
• Springwater (2): Two women between 45 and 64 years old. One case is linked to close contact and the other was community-acquired.
• Innisfil (10):  A boy under 18, three women between 18 and 34 years old, two men between 35 and 44 years old, three women between 45 and 64 years old and a woman between 65 and 79 years old. One case is outbreak related, one case was community-acquired.
• Bradford West Gwillimbury (16): Two boys and a girl under 18 years old, three women and four men between 18 and 34 years old, two women and a man between 35 and 44 years old, a man between 45 and 64 years old, a woman between 65 and 79 years old and a woman over 80. Four cases are outbreak-related, three are linked to close contact and two are considered community-acquired. 
• Orillia (3): A man between 18 and 34 years old and two men between 45 and 64 years old. One case is outbreak-related and one is community-acquired.
• Oro-Medonte (1): A man between 18 and 34 years old whose case is attributed to close contact. 
• Adjala-Tosorontio (2): A man and a woman between 45 and 64 years old. 
• Severn (1): A woman between 35 and 44 years old whose case is outbreak-related. 
• Essa (3): Two women between 18 and 34 years old, and a woman between 45 and 64 years old. Two cases are outbreak-related and one is community-acquired.
• New Tecumseth (7): Two men between 18 and 34 years old, two men between 35 and 44 years old, and two women and a man between 65 and 79 years old. Two cases were community-acquired. 

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
• 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
• Bradford Valley Care Community (facility-wide), Bradford, Jan. 14
• IOOF (Baldwin Lane), Barrie, Jan. 15
• The Pines Long Term Care Residence, Bracebridge, Jan. 20 
• Kingsmere Retirement Living, Alliston, Jan. 20

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 on 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