BARRIE, ONT. COVID-19 case counts in Simcoe Muskoka are on a downward trend, as the health unit logs 244 infections for the week, compared with 443 the week prior. On Friday, the health unit lists 57 new COVID-19 infections in the region. It s the fourth straight week with a decreasing case count, so it s very, very encouraging, said Simcoe Muskoka s associate medical officer of health, Dr. Colin Lee. But while case counts decrease, the number of deaths continues to increase. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit says a Simcoe County man between 65 and 79 died after contracting the virus. He is the 12th Simcoe County resident to die with COVID-19 this month.
In March, Brampton-based pharmacist Aska Patel got an email from her employer asking if she’d volunteer to work in a hospital that was hit hard with Covid. Patel agreed, and in April, she was redeployed to the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie. Here’s how it all happened.
As told to Andrea Yu
“I was born in India and immigrated to Brampton with my parents in 2000, when I was 12. In high school, I volunteered at a pharmacy to complete some of my community service hours. I watched how the pharmacists talked to patients about their health and I saw how much the patients valued their guidance. I decided this was the job for me. I now work for Home Community Care Support Services Central West in Brampton as a consultant pharmacist. It’s a really rewarding position because I get to consult with patients one-on-one to help optimize their medication therapy. I mediate between the community pharmacist, the family physician and any other specialists I think of myself
BARRIE, ONT. Simcoe Muskoka health officials report a 30 per cent drop in confirmed COVID-19 cases over the past three weeks. Past president of the Ontario Medical Association, Dr. Sohail Gandhi, says it s a sign of progress. It s not quite what I d like to see, but at least it s a step in the right direction. Public health officials report 281 COVID-19 tests came back positive since Friday across Simcoe Muskoka. There are currently 1,585 active infections in the region. Still, Dr. Gandhi remains concerned about the rationing of health care. The health unit says there are 51 people in the hospital as of Monday fighting the virus. Of those, Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie has 22 COVID-19 positive patients, seven on ventilators. It s unclear how many of these infected patients are transfers from overburdened GTA hospitals.
BARRIE, ONT. The Simcoe Muskoka health unit logged 99 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, plus the death of a senior Simcoe County woman. In April, the health unit has reported 21 COVID-19 deaths among residents. Twelve people lost their lives to the virus in March. There are currently 1,334 infections, including 50 hospitalizations, as health care workers struggle to meet the demand on an already exhausted system. On Wednesday, health officials with Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie called the situation dire, saying 19 patients were in the intensive care unit, nine on ventilators. Simcoe County recorded 216 new COVID-19 tests per 10,000 population for the current week, and Muskoka logged 157 tests per 10,000 population.
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A record number of critically ill COVID-19 patients were moved around Ontario hospitals Wednesday cumulatively covering thousands of kilometres as the province struggles to juggle patients between a dwindling supply of available hospital beds.
More movement much more is coming, as Ontario health officials brace for Toronto-area hospitals to be hit hard by the third wave of COVID, fuelled by more contagious variants.
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Try refreshing your browser. Critically ill COVID patients moved out of Toronto hospitals to open beds, including those in Sudbury Back to video
The relocation of 36 patients from Ontario intensive care units to ICU beds in other regions Wednesday comes as ICU hospital workers fear time is running out to ease demand on medical facilities and staff in the province’s COVID hotspot.