A 67-year-old Newmarket man has passed away with a case of COVID-19 acquired by community transmission, marking the 47th fatality related to the virus since the pandemic began.
The man died Friday, May 7 at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, following symptom onset on April 26 and positive test results on April 27, according to York Region spokesperson Patrick Casey.
As the vaccine rollout that began with the oldest, most vulnerable residents impacts the statistics — 92 per cent of York Region residents aged 80 and older and 90 per cent of residents aged 75 to 79 are vaccinated with at least one dose — the distribution of serious cases and deaths has shifted to a younger group.
Most of COVID-19 related fatalities now occurring in ages over 60 are unvaccinated residents, according to York Region medical officer of health Dr. Karim Kurji.
As of today, vaccinations rates are nearly 75 per cent for ages 60 to 64 and 81 per cent for ages 65 to 69.
The recent death of a 42-year-old Markham woman with a variant case of COVID-19 acquired at a workplace was a stark reminder that the mutants of the virus have increased the risk of hospitalizations and deaths in a younger demographic during the third wave of the pandemic.
An analysis of by the province's science advisory table last month indicated the variants have doubled the risk of someone being admitted to intensive care and increase the risk of death by roughly 60 per cent.
The third wave of the pandemic in York Region has seen a higher proportion — 11 per cent — of fatal cases under the age of 60, compared to the second wave number of 5 per cent, according to Casey.
During the third wave, York Region has a 6.8 per cent mortality rate per 100,000 population, with the majority of deaths occurring in residents aged their 70s and 80s, Casey said.
Non-household close contact and local transmission have been the leading sources of acquisition among cases that were fatal in the third wave, he added, a contrast to the majority of cases being acquired by close contact in the previous waves.
While statistics related to COVID-19 related fatalities are no longer being provided on York Region's public dashboard, as of the 45th death of a Newmarket resident, the majority deaths have been men (67 per cent) aged 80 and over (58 per cent).
Of the 47 COVID-19 fatalities, the cases were acquired: 31 in an institution; eight by close contact; six by local transmission, one in a workplace and one unknown.
