Simcoe Muskoka is currently experiencing a “bit of a surge” in COVID cases, and statistics show growth in the spread of the coronavirus locally.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported 25 new COVID-19 cases in the region between July 13 and today, whereas there were 12 new cases reported between July 2 and 12.
Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health for Simcoe County and Muskoka District, doesn’t want this to become an “upswing in cases.”
“We’re seeing evidence that people are becoming complacent about these controls,” noted Dr. Gardner during a media briefing this afternoon.
He said cases have become “more complicated” for contact tracing with several contacts identified per case now.
Of the newest 25 cases, 16 have been Barrie residents, bringing the cumulative total of confirmed cases in Barrie to 199.
Gardner said he and his team were curious about the increased cases in Barrie and investigated the Barrie cases further.
Health unit staff identified a “family cluster” that involved eight of the 16 Barrie cases. The family cluster also “involved travel of individuals out of the country.”
On the health unit’s website, three Barrie cases reported on July 17 report a transmission source linked to travel and another five are reported as close contact transmission.
The other eight cases do not have a specific pattern or link to each other, according to Gardner. Of those cases, four are reported as community-acquired and four are listed under investigation.
The reproductive rate for the coronavirus in Simcoe Muskoka is 1.2, which is the number of people each confirmed case of COVID-19 passes the virus on to.
“Anything more than one means there’s currently a growth,” said Gardner.
The health unit has also logged more cases among younger people lately. Gardner said the average age of cases in the last week is 32 years old; at the beginning of the pandemic, the average age of cases in the region was 40 to 50 years old.
Though younger cases tend to be less severe because they don’t always lead to hospitalization or death, the doctor cautions they can be severe, and even a light case of COVID has consequences.
“They can also transmit the virus to people who are vulnerable, or just keep it in circulation so we can’t keep the pandemic on the downward trajectory that we want,” said Gardner.
He urged people throughout the region to continue practising physical distancing, proper handwashing, and wearing a mask indoors and/or where physical distancing is compromised.
The doctor’s order requiring masks indoors in public spaces has been in effect since Monday, July 13. Though the health unit didn’t have specific statistics related to compliance, Gardner said the health unit continues to get a high volume of calls related to wearing face coverings.
“They are split between those who are opposed to wearing masks and those who are concerned with compliance [of others],” he said. “We’ve made allowance for a best effort approach, so the operator is not required to turn people away if they refuse to wear a mask.”
However, businesses can choose to turn someone away if they wish.
“We want to avoid overt conflict situations,” said Gardner. “We want to achieve high compliance while striking a balance.”
He urged compassion toward those not wearing a mask and asked people to assume those not wearing masks have a valid reason.
Beaches have also become a hot topic for Gardner and the health unit as the region’s municipalities struggle to deal with crowds on their shores.
The health unit has directed municipalities to find ways to limit the number of people on the beach, whether through limited access or reduced parking.
“What we’ve heard back is, in practice, that’s been difficult to do,” said Gardner. “Most beaches have multiple access points … it remains an ongoing challenge.”
