Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit reports 74 new cases

Barrie — The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) reports 74 new cases Thursday, for a total of 392 cases this week.

This week’s case total also includes December 25th and December 26th.

There are currently 998 active cases across the region with 33 infected people in hospital.

According to the Health Unit, a male from Simcoe County 65 to 79 years-old has died from the virus at Georgian Bay General Hospital and a male ranging in age from 45 to 64 from Muskoka has also passed away. The Muskoka resident was being cared for at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre when he died.

Most COVID-19 cases in Simcoe Muskoka are from the Barrie and South Simcoe areas and nearly one-third of all active cases are among young adults 18-34 years.

Approximately half of all new infections in December with a known cause were acquired from close contact with a confirmed positive case and about 20 per cent were acquired in the community with no known source of infection.