For the sixth week in a row Simcoe Muskoka’s COVID-19 incidence rate is higher than the provincial rate.
“I note that in the previous waves our [rate] was much less than the province’s, in the range of half the provincial rate,” said medical officer of health Dr. Charles Gardner. “During the fourth wave it has been a very different situation for us.”
At 82.5 cases per 100,000 population, the rate is higher than health units in the GTA, which are all below 40 cases per 100,000 population, making Simcoe Muskoka the eighth highest in Ontario.
Twenty-five per cent of the cases in the region this past week were in children under the age of 12, with the majority being school age children between the ages of four and 11.
Young adults 18-34 have the highest percent positivity rate and males 18-29 have the lowest vaccine coverage rate.
Gardner notes the new Omicron variant may be more transmissible and research is being done to determine many of the unknowns. The presence of the variant with seven cases in Canada as of presstime has caused flights to be barred to certain African countries.
Gardner said there are no identified cases in Simcoe Muskoka but urges people to get vaccinated and follow all public health measures.
He is advising people to reduce their social circle, and think twice before hosting holiday gatherings.
“I am becoming very concerned about the trajectory of things and where we are headed,” said Gardner, adding that other regions in the north with higher transmission have reinstated capacity limits.
“This is not something I’m intending to do immediately. It’s something that I’m looking at if it proves to be necessary depending on the trajectory of our cases. But it’s something that I want the community to be aware of,” he said.
Gardner said open letters will be issued to workplaces, businesses, and municipalities.