Another Simcoe County resident has died of COVID-19.
The health unit is reported an additional death in Oro-Medonte today, but the website does not list any information on the individual who died.
There have been five cases confirmed in Oro-Medonte including a man in his 50s, a man in his 70s, a woman in her 70s, a man in his 80s and a woman in her 60s. On April 11, the health unit reported the man in his 70s died. It’s not clear which of the cases is the latest victim of the virus. This is the 16th death reported related to COVID-19 in the region.
The region's medical officer of health is due to provide an update tomorrow afternoon.
Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has listed 11 more lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 on its website today.
The new cases include seven residents at Owen Hill Care Community, which Gardner notified the media about yesterday. The residents include a man in his 60s, a man in his 70s, three women in their 80s, a woman in her 70s, and a woman in her 90s.
Other cases include an Orillia woman in her 50s (close contact), a Severn man in his 80s (community-acquired), an Essa woman in her 50s (community-acquired), and a Bradford West-Gwillimbury woman in her 40s (transmission undetermined).
Yesterday, Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka region, said there are two health unit staff confirmed positive for COVID-19, and the region has “had quite a few” healthcare workers test positive.
“The great majority were community-acquired and not related to outbreaks,” said Gardner.
There are five active outbreaks at long-term care facilities in Simcoe County, and from those, at least 18 staff have tested positive for the virus.
Ontario Public Health has reported there are now 2,292 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in health care workers, which is about 14.2 per cent of the total number of cases reported in the province since the pandemic began.
The province has provided priority testing to health care workers for nearly the entire duration of the pandemic.
But Gardner maintained it’s not the workplace that presents the biggest risk for health care workers in the region.
“Our greatest risk is in the community,” said Gardner. “I think with ongoing community transmission, we’re all at risk. Even for health care workers, their greatest risk, in my opinion, is out in the community.”
He said in most cases health care workers are equipped with personal protective equipment when dealing with patients. But in the community, they are not wearing PPE nor are they in a controlled environment.
In Simcoe County long-term care facilities, there have been cases confirmed in 11 staff and 34 residents at Bradford Valley Care Community. Seven residents have died and others have been described as "quite ill."
Other confirmed cases in the region include a staff member at IOOF Seniors Homes in Barrie's Allandale area, two staff members at Woods Park Care Centre, located on Lillian Crescent in Barrie, and one case confirmed in a resident at an unnamed group home in Bradford.
Yesterday, Gardner confirmed an outbreak at Bayview Retirement Home in Waubaushene where one staff member has tested positive.
There have been 278 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in the Simcoe Muskoka region. There are now nine people hospitalized, 155 recovered, and 16 people have died.
In total, there have been 95 community-acquired cases, 65 close contact cases, and 54 associated with travel. There are 43 cases associated with outbreaks at long-term care homes, 17 undetermined transmission cases, and another four are listed under investigation.
The case breakdown by municipality/city is as follows:
Bradford W-G (69 cases, 24 recoveries, 7 deaths), Barrie (85 cases, 47 recoveries, 2 deaths), New Tecumseth (19 cases, 15 recoveries), Orillia (13 cases, 8 recoveries, 2 deaths), Collingwood (8 cases, 7 recoveries), Innisfil (20 cases, 9 recoveries), Springwater (6 cases, 4 recoveries), Midland (6 cases, 5 recoveries), Wasaga Beach (8 cases, 4 recoveries, 1 death), Oro-Medonte (5 cases, 2 recoveries, 2 deaths), Adjala-Tosorontio (7 cases, 4 recoveries), Clearview (2 cases, all recovered), Essa (6 cases, 3 recoveries), Ramara (2 cases, 2 recoveries), Tiny (2 cases, all recovered), Penetanguishene (2 cases, all recovered), and Severn (1 case) for a total of 261 cases in Simcoe County, including 155 recoveries.
There are also 17 confirmed positive cases in Muskoka, and 15 have recovered.
The case rate (including lab-confirmed cases only) for Simcoe Muskoka region is 45.2 cases per 100,000 population. The provincial average is 108.9 cases per 100,000 population.
