Simcoe Muskoka is seeing the highest increases in cases of COVID-19 of the pandemic and that the majority are in the southern part of Simcoe County.
Simcoe Muskoka Medical Officer of Health Dr. Charles Gardner reported this week that the growth rate in the region is higher than the province of Ontario as a whole, and is accelerating at a rate of 1.3.
The regional case count has reached 1,485, and 167 of those cases are active.
For the week beginning Oct. 25, there were 124 new cases reported by the health unit, which was the highest number of cases reported in a single week since the start of the pandemic. There have been 101 new cases reported for the current week, beginning November 1st. There were more than 450 new cases reported in October, which was more than double what was reported in any previous month.
The region has 13 outbreaks, including four institutions, a group home, four workplaces, two schools, one licensed childcare centre, and a Barrie salon.
Gardner said they continue to see clusters in households, either multigenerational households or in shared accommodation.
Of the 340 cases reported in the 14-day period since Thanksgiving, 47 cases are associated with various Thanksgiving gatherings. Another 15 from out of are have been identified as related cases, bringing the total to 63.
Clearview now has 27 known cases of COVID-19, with 18 of those classified as recovered. Since Thanksgiving, Clearview has seen 12 cases designated as close contact of a known case. Another case is related to a workplace outbreak and another two are related to institutional outbreaks.
Gardner’s key messages are: people should only have close contact with members of their immediate household, otherwise all physical distancing measures should be observed; minimize unnecessary outings; don’t travel outside of the community; and self screen before going to work, or sending students to school.