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43 new COVID-19 cases, 1 additional death confirmed in Simcoe Muskoka

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The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit confirmed 43 new coronavirus cases and one additional COVID-19-related death on Thursday, bringing the local total number of cases up to 7,414, including 196 deaths.

Local public health also confirmed 24 new variant cases, bringing the local total up to 1,101 — 215 of which are active cases.

On Wednesday, 3,993 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered in the region, bringing the total amount of doses given up to 77,340.

Twenty of Thursday’s new cases are in Barrie, while seven are in Bradford and six are in Innisfil.

The rest of the new cases are in Clearview, Collingwood, Gravenhurst, Huntsville, New Tecumseth, Orillia, Oro-Medonte and Severn.

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Fourteen of the new cases are a result of close contact with another positive COVID-19 case, while eight are community-acquired, four are outbreak-related and the rest are all under investigation.

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To date, 306 local cases have tested positive for the COVID-19 B.1.1.7 variant, which was first discovered in the U.K., while nine people have tested positive for the P.1 variant, which was first discovered in Brazil. Additionally, one person has tested positive for the B.1.351 variant, which was first discovered in South Africa.

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Meanwhile, 785 people have also screened positive for a coronavirus variant of concern and are awaiting testing to determine the exact strain.

Of the region’s total 7,414 COVID-19 cases, 91 per cent — or 6,740 people — have recovered, while 22 are currently in hospital.

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There are also currently 13 outbreaks in the region — at five workplaces, five educational settings, one community setting, one congregate setting and one institutional setting.

On Thursday, Ontario recorded 2,380 new coronavirus cases, although officials noted the count is an overestimate by about 280 cases due to a data catch-up. The provincial total now stands at 336,070, including 7,280 deaths.

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