MUSKOKA – UPDATE (Friday, April 24 1:45 p.m.) – There have been no new cases of COVID-19 in Muskoka since Monday.

The number of cases for Muskoka remains at 16, with 14 recovered. There has been one fatality, a Muskoka Lakes man died on April 9, leaving one active case under self-isolation. The health unit conducted 92 tests in Muskoka from Monday through Thursday this week.

In its end-of-week media update the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit revealed four new cases of COVID-19 in Simcoe County which has 221 cases listed.

The latest Simcoe cases include a woman in her 20s and a boy under the age of 10 both from Barrie, as well as a woman in her 60s from Innisfil and an Orillia woman in her 80s. All of the latest cases are in self-isolation. Of all the cases 124 are considered recovered, 10 remain in hospital and 15 have died.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Huntsville had five cases, six in Gravenhurst, three in Muskoka Lakes (including one fatality) and one each in Bracebridge and Lake of Bays.

In Ontario as of Friday, April 24 at 10:30 a.m., Torstar statistics report a total of 14,425 cases, an increase of 121 since Thursday evening, April 23. Ontario has registered 815 deaths to date, 16 since Thursday. The province’s tracking of statistics lags by approximately 24 hours, and shows a caseload of 13,519 as of April 23, an increase of 640 over the previous day and 763 deaths.

The chief medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, Dr. Charles Gardner spoke about the work his staff has been doing through the pandemic.

“We have had to deploy many of our staff to other areas to help with the management of the pandemic,” he said. He cites that on March 16, 2020, the date of the first COVID-19 death in the Simcoe Muskoka area, calls to their offices exploded to 1,200 in one day.

“On a typical day now we are still dealing with a tenfold increase in the range of 171 calls per day,” said Gardner.

He also noted the huge number of investigations handled by staff, noting that while there are 237 cases in the area there have been 1,700 contact traces and over 4,300 investigations completed related to people in the community who may have come in to contact with an infected person.

“I want to thank my staff for all the work they have done in helping in this process,” said Gardner. “The final act in all of this will hopefully be in a year and a half when there is a vaccine and we work to administer it to the public.”

View all cases in the Simcoe Muskoka Health Unit here.

UPDATE (Thursday, April 23) The only new case in the District of Muskoka this week is the report of a Huntsville man in his 70s who has already been listed as recovered.

Numbers overall in the province seem to be slowing. As of April 23, Torstar statistics report a total of 13,825, an increase of 107 since Wednesday, April 22. Ontario has registered 760 deaths to date, an increase of just 10 in the past 24 hours. Earlier in the week that number was between the mid 40s and low 60s per day. The province’s tracking of statistics lags by approximately 24 hours, and shows a caseload of 12,879 as of April 20, an increase of 634 over the previous day and 713 deaths.

UPDATE (Friday, April 17, 2 p.m.) It has become clear that the health unit is currently only reporting seasonal resident cases if they are recovering in Muskoka, not if they go back home to recover.

Following what appeared to be a large number of visitors to Muskoka last weekend, chief medical officer of health, Dr. Charles Gardner said any visitors who may have been sick with the virus and visiting Simcoe Muskoka would have their contact tracing done by his health unit, in terms of people they may have interacted with while in Muskoka.

“(The other) health unit would contact us and provide us details and we would investigate,” said Gardner, who added, “I don’t have data in front of me to confirm how many people that might be.”

Gardner also indicated that for the most part it seemed people were complying well with provincial orders, but noted they may see more instances of the police laying charges as happened in Lake of Bays on Thursday.

MUSKOKA – UPDATE (Saturday, April 11, 5 p.m.) – A Muskoka Lakes man being treated in hospital for COVID-19 has died, marking Muskoka’s first death related to the virus.

In a daily press briefing, Dr. Charles Gardner, the chief medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health unit said the man was in his 80s and in hospital in Muskoka. According to Simcoe Muskoka Health Stats website, the man acquired the virus while travelling and was first reported on April 6.

In addressing the death in Muskoka Dr. Gardner revealed the person in question does “have another residence elsewhere as well as in Muskoka.”

Dr. Gardner further clarified that if a person were to contract the coronavirus while they were staying at a seasonal residence, they would still be listed as from Muskoka.

“If they have a residence here, at least to date, we have listed them as such,” he explained.

It is a sensitive topic as the premier and various Muskoka area leaders have asked for seasonal residents to stay away from Muskoka during the pandemic, to take pressure off local health and food supply services.

The health unit also reported a Lake of Bays man in his 70s is currently self-isolating after testing positive.

UPDATE (Thursday, April 9, 1 p.m.) – The criteria for COVID-19 testing in Ontario has been broadened, opening the opportunity for more people to get tested at assessment centres.

Dr. Charles Gardner, the chief medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health unit, said in his daily press briefing on Thursday, April 9 that no local data reports that there had been less testing done before this.

However, now that there will be less restrictions in place for people to be eligible for testing, more is expected to take place in the region.

Testing for first responders and those who work and live in long-term care facilities is especially important, he said.

“We do have to have a high volume of testing if we do want to flatten the curve,” said Gardner. “We’re still in an active, local outbreak.”

He said he expects more people, especially first responders, will be heading to the assessment centres now that the criteria has been loosened.

Dr. Gardner also said families of front line health workers, as with everyone, should act as if the infection is present in the home and follow all the best practices even though doctors, nurses, paramedics etc. are acting using extreme vigilance in operating protocols. He said health care workers would be notified if they had been in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.

Hand washing, physical distancing, maintaining separate areas in the home if someone did have exposure should all be considered,” said Gardner.

The Huntsville and Bracebridge testing facilities opened on Wednesday, April 1.

One protocol being announced to help reduce contact among assessment centre patients will be to ask people to wait in their vehicles until they are called into the facility for testing.

The assessment centres are located at 100 Frank Miller Dr., Building B in Huntsville and at the Rotary Centre for Youth in Bracebridge at 131 Wellington St.

Gardner stressed that people cannot just drop in to visit the assessment centre. The website outlines requirements which include getting a referral from a primary physician or by a telehealth nurse practitioner recommending a visit.

I do expect some increase in the number of cases now that more testing will be Dr. Gardner also stressed the need for anyone age 70 and above to resist going out at all as the risk is simply too high for older people to be in the public.

These people can get assistance for things like medicine and delivery of groceries by calling 211,” said Gardner.

People who feel they should be assessed in Muskoka can call the following numbers:

Telehealth Ontario – 1-866-767-0000 (Monday to Friday – 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit 1-877-721-7520

After following these steps if you have been advised to attend a COVID-19 test Assessment Centre in

Muskoka you would call 1-888-383-7009

The health unit stresses the COVID-19 Assessment Centres in Muskoka are not open for walk-in visits and you will be turned away. You will be seen by a health care professional who will provide you with the necessary care instructions, if required. Not everyone who attends the centre will be tested. Healthcare professionals will test for COVID-19 based on the most up-to-date guidelines from the Ministry of Health and the health care professional’s assessment of the individual. Testing is not available to all patients on request.