COVID-19 News: Simcoe Muskoka logs 229 new COVID-19 cases | CTV News

Simcoe Muskoka logged the region's highest single-day COVID-19 case count of the pandemic, with more than 200 new infections.

The health unit posted 229 new cases on Thursday, one day after the region's medical officer of health said he wasn't sure if or when the pandemic would end.

"The course of the pandemic has been discouraging, to say the least, and I don't actually have a clear vision as to exactly when and how it will end," Dr. Gardner said during a virtual COVID-19 update on Wednesday.

The region hit 1,647 active infections, including 30 hospitalizations, with eight patients admitted to ICUs.

"Confirmed cases underestimate the true number of people with COVID-19," the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) stated.

"The current demand for lab-based PCR COVID-19 testing has exceeded capacity, and this in conjunction with other biases (e.g. limited testing of asymptomatic individuals) can contribute to underestimating COVID-19 transmission in our communities," SMDHU noted on its website.

Weekly case counts have increased more than 50 per cent recently, as the highly contagious Omicron variant starts to dominate cases.

"I think it's important to realize that Omicron is much more transmissible," Dr. Gardner added.

There have been 60 Omicron cases identified in Simcoe Muskoka to date, according to the SMDHU.

The region's top doctor stressed the importance of vaccination and self-isolating if exhibiting symptoms.

No virus-related deaths were reported on Thursday. To date, the health unit reports 286 residents passed away after contracting COVID-19.

Of the cases reported in the past 24 hours, 162 are breakthrough infections.