99 people in Simcoe-Muskoka likely have COVID-19 variant as top doctor warns of community spread
by Lucas Casaletto
Last Updated Jan 26, 2021 at 4:28 pm EDT
Public health officials say 99 more people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Simcoe-Muskoka region likely have a variant of the virus that first originated in the UK.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit says most of the cases are linked to
“Our investigation into these preliminary results is early, but it appears that two persons have no known link to those individuals we recently identified as positive for the United Kingdom (UK) variant,” said Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU).
Three more people have recovered from COVID-19, according to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU).
It puts the active case count in the region at 30. There have been a total of 186 cases of the coronavirus in Muskoka since the pandemic began.
The total of recoveries is now up to 153.
So far, SMDHU has administered 15,365 vaccines in Simcoe Muskoka with 341 shots given out on Monday.
SMDHU has reported 29 new cases of the virus in Simcoe. That brings the total in the region to 5,016 with 3,673 recoveries and 128 people dying.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is investigating the possibility that the U.K. variant of COVID-19 may be present in a second local long-term care home in outbreak