At least 20 per cent of the COVID-19 cases confirmed in Simcoe-Muskoka since April 6 are linked to Easter weekend gatherings.
According to Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, the gatherings ranged in size from two to ten people, with an average of six close contacts per confirmed COVID case.
“That is similar to the pattern that we saw at Christmas and back during Thanksgiving,” said Gardner during a media briefing on April 13. “This does speak to the inherent hazard of gatherings beyond your household and the importance of people sticking with and abiding by the stay-at-home order.”
During the Easter weekend, April 2-5, Ontario was under a province-wide lockdown (starting April 3), but the government didn’t issue a stay-at-home order until April 8.
Gardner and other health officials in the province were, however, advising people to stay at home for Easter and not to gather with anyone outside their household.
“Had the stay-at-home order been put in place for the Easter weekend, perhaps it would have made a difference,” said Gardner. “It would have certainly made a difference if everybody had abided by it and not had those social gatherings.”
On April 13 there were 1,106 active cases of COVID-19 in the region, which was nearly double the 679 active cases reported the week before.
The health unit reported 656 cases for the week of April 4 to 10, which was a 46 per cent increase week-over-week.
“What we see is a continuation of the pattern that we’ve seen all along with household clusters, early in the wave younger people impacted, interaction within the work environment,” said Gardner. “We’ve not had any information or data to link specifically, say, to the protest activity but certainly the social gatherings such as the Easter gatherings is noteworthy.”
The incidence rate for the week of April 4 was 110 cases per 100,000 people, which is the highest ever recorded for Simcoe-Muskoka region. The provincial average for the same week was 161 cases per 100,000 people.
“I guess you could certainly characterize that as being related to pandemic fatigue. I think the bottom line would be people taking risks with their social interactions that put them at risk of transmission.”
The doctor reminded the residents of Simcoe-Muskoka not to go visit others in their homes, and not to have anyone into their homes, and the same goes for cottages, rentals, and part-time residents.
“I would say that right now the shutdown and the stay-at-home order are very important for controlling the third wave,” said Gardner. “Vaccination will ultimately be key … but it will take us weeks to vaccinate enough of the population to get that kind of control.”
About 18 per cent of the population of Simcoe-Muskoka has received one dose of a vaccine against COVID-19.
The regional medical officer of health said this time around, the current restrictions should stay in place until the case counts and incidence rates are “much lower” than they were in February when the province lifted the last stay-at-home order and reopened regions.
At that time, Gardner called for the Simcoe-Muskoka region to be locked down in the grey zone. He faced vehement opposition and the lockdown lasted just one week.
“It will take strong leadership from the province,” said Gardner. “You need a larger base of geographic coverage than the local health unit … there can be some benefit to local action … but it’s really exceedingly hard to do this alone.”
To read more about the stay-at-home order and current restrictions in place across Ontario, click here.
