Twenty-two residents from the Simcoe-Muskoka region have died at home with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
Those deaths do not include residents of long-term care homes who have died with the disease, but could include people living in retirement homes and group homes.
The Canadian Press reported last week there is an increase in the number of COVID patients dying at home in Ontario. Between April 1 and April 22, coroners have seen 25 cases of people in southern and central Ontario who have died of coronavirus disease at home. The ages of the victims ranged from the late 20s to their late 80s.
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. Health officials at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) report the third wave has been very different than the first and second, calling the situation dire. This has been a punishing third wave, said RVH president and CEO Janice Skot. The crisis is real. The crisis is here, she added. The Barrie hospital has admitted over 60 patients from overwhelmed GTA hospitals in just the past two weeks, Skot noted. These are tough days, Skot said. Unfortunately, they may get tougher. To keep up with the demand, the hospital is adding 19 critical care beds. Skot said staff are currently utilizing three COVID units and the 70-bed field hospital to deal with the influx of patients.
BARRIE, ONT. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) reports 74 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, plus one new virus-related death of a Simcoe County woman. Public health has recorded 224 COVID-19 deaths, 22 this month alone. Dr. Barry Nathanson, Stevenson Memorial Hospital s chief of staff, said he s never experienced anything like this throughout his career. We ve never had to redeploy human resources the way we have had to do this time. We ve never had to reconfigure resources such as critical care units the way we have had to do this time. We ve never had to outfit children s hospitals for the provision of adult care. We ve never had our skies darkened by helicopters travelling, carrying patients from place to place.
Some patients feel regret because they weren t more careful
Barrie.CTVNews.ca Producer Kim Phillips Health officials at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) report the third wave has been very different than the first and second, calling the situation dire. This has been a punishing third wave, said RVH president and CEO Janice Skot. The crisis is real. The crisis is here, she added. The Barrie hospital has admitted over 60 patients from overwhelmed GTA hospitals in just the past two weeks, Skot noted. These are tough days, Skot said. Unfortunately, they may get tougher. To keep up with the demand, the hospital is adding 19 critical care beds. Skot said staff are currently utilizing three COVID units and the 70-bed field hospital to deal with the influx of patients.