Today, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) reported one new COVID-19 case in Huntsville: a woman, aged 45-64, whose infection was community acquired.
(Note: As of January 12, 2021 cases are reported by SMDHU based on date reported to public health. Case counts may also fluctuate from day to day if cases leave the area for hospital treatment, or to recover elsewhere.)
Of the 54 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Huntsville to date, 12 are active. None are in hospital in Huntsville. Two people have died from the disease in Huntsville, as well as a third person in Muskoka Lakes. There have been 11 COVID-19 cases in Huntsville since Jan. 1. Almost half (26) have occurred since December 1, 2020. In Lake of Bays, there have been six cases in total, all of which are resolved.
There have been a total of 180 cases reported in Muskoka to date (38 of them currently active) and 4,572 in Simcoe County (1,225 active). (For a full list of Huntsville and Lake of Bays cases to date, and other COVID-19 updates for the area, visit our COVID-19 page.)
Premier Doug Ford issued a stay-at-home order for all of Ontario last week, which commenced on January 14.
For more COVID-19 information from the health unit, visit simcoemuskokahealth.org.
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Hi David,
To protect privacy, the health unit only releases location information in the case of outbreaks at hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes, and schools, as well as workplaces if that business has made a public statement about a case in an employee. For a community-acquired case, defined as “a sporadic case in an individual where most likely [my emphasis] the acquisition of illness is from somewhere within the community but not associated with a community outbreak [i.e. linked to a workplace, event, or gathering]”, the specific source of the infection will likely never be known given the incubation period of the virus and the likelihood that someone could have been several places during that time period. Your best course of action remains the same: follow stay-at-home orders and if you must go out for essential purposes, wear a mask, maintain at least two-metres distance from others, avoid touching your face, use hand sanitizer upon entering and leaving stores and touch only what you intend to buy, and if you have symptoms stay home home and seek assessment.
It really would be helpful if, with respect to community acquired Covid cases, the Doppler was able to revisit these cases a few days after being reported and find out where in the community these occurred and what the location was doing to address the likelihood of further such incidents occurring. Any data analysis (i. e. more detailed information) would provide Huntsville residents with a greater ability to stay safe. Thank you.