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Health unit reports 3 more deaths, 4 COVID patients hospitalized

There are 22 active outbreaks in Simcoe-Muskoka
2020-07-28 SMDHU offices 1
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit offices are located on Sperling Drive in north-end Barrie. Raymond Bowe/BarrieToday

Three more people have died and four more people from Simcoe-Muskoka region have been hospitalized for COVID-19, according to the latest update by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. 

The three deaths reported today include two women over 79 and a man over 79, all from Simcoe County. They died between May 6 and 12.

In total, the health unit has reported eight COVID deaths in May.

There are 34 people from the region hospitalized because of COVID-19, including five patients in intensive care units. 

Testing has captured 192 new COVID cases in the region since the last update on May 11. Because testing is not available to everyone, case counts are underestimated. 

Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 44,822 cases of COVID-19 with 43,392 of those cases recovered and 482 cases ending in death. 

Of the deaths reported by the health unit since March 2020, 419 were COVID-related, 50 deaths were not related to COVID-19 but the person tested positive, and for 13 of them, the cause of death is unknown or pending. 

To date, 83 per cent of the population aged five years old and up are fully vaccinated with two or more doses, and 18 per cent of the region's total population (including children) is unvaccinated.

There are 22 active outbreaks in Simcoe-Muskoka, down from 34 outbreaks on May 6. The current active outbreaks include 18 in institutional settings (hospitals, long-term care, retirement homes), and four in congregate settings (group homes, shelters).

A list of outbreaks is available on the health unit website here.

According to monitoring of the region's hospitals by the health unit, about 68 per cent of the region's ICU beds are full and about 39 per cent of the ventilator beds are occupied. Acute care occupancy is highest with 95.5 per cent of the beds in the region currently full. 

Here's a look at the Ontario COVID update for May 13.


Erika Engel

About the Author: Erika Engel

Erika regularly covers all things news in Collingwood as a reporter and editor. She has 15 years of experience as a local journalist
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