Hamilton Public Health (HPH) added 18 new positive COVID-19 cases on Sunday, which saw the city’s total jump from 52 on Saturday to 70 as of March 29.
The city’s medical officer of health Dr. Elizabeth Richardson told Global News that Sunday’s increase was the result of the Public Health Ontario Laboratory reporting previously outstanding results coming from cases tested between March 13 and 29.
“That was because they were short on some of the chemicals they need to run those tests,” said Richardson.
“There’s a worldwide market going on right now for all of those chemicals and a lot of pressure around them until they were finally able to start and getting through some of that backlog of test results.”
Richardson said the new positives were not unexpected and that the cases came through from people that had been waiting eight to 10 days for results.
“We’ve been following up with all of them to let them know their results, whether they’re negative or positive,” Richardson said.
Public Health says the backlog is not done, and more cases should be added to the city’s overall daily totals over the next week.
Richardson says only ten out of the 70 have had hospital stays as a result of contracting COVID-19.
“We’re not seeing and the number of people who are more sick in terms of needing ventilation and being in an intensive care unit.”
The city says 41 percent of its positive cases come from people aged between 20 and 44 years old with 24 of the 70 cases connected to a history of travel.
On Saturday, Hamilton Health Sciences reported that one of its nurses working at the McMaster University Medical Centre-McMaster Children’s Hospital site had tested positive for the virus causing COVID-19.
“We are still working with Hamilton Public Health to identify and inform any other individuals that may be associated with this case,” spokesperson Lillian Badzioch said in an email to Global News. “There are well-established processes in place between hospitals and Hamilton Public Health to address presumptive and positive cases swiftly and safely.”
On Friday, associate medical officer of health Dr. Bart Harvey confirmed that an employee at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre had also contracted the virus.
Harvey said HPH was working closely with jail staff and inmates through the staff “to identify individuals who may have had close contact with the infected person and asking them to self-isolate for 14 days.”
The positive test result was confirmed on Wednesday.
Halton Region has 25 positive cases of the new coronavirus as of Sunday, while Niagara Region is reporting 21, Brant County has eight, and Norfolk and Haldimand counties are jointly reporting 23 cases in the region.
Niagara added to its cases as the Oakville Professional Firefighters Association tweeted that one of its members had also tested positive for COVID-19.
Oakville fire Chief Brian Durdin said the firefighter last worked on March 19 and didn’t display symptoms until March 23.
“The staff member is currently at home in self-isolation following the direction of the Niagara Public Medical Health Unit,” Durdin said.
On Monday, Ontario reported 351 new cases of novel coronavirus – the biggest single-day increase in cases since the pandemic began.
Four-hundred-and-thirty-one cases are resolved, meaning the total cumulative case total in Ontario stands at 1,706.
The death toll remained at 23.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
— With files from Global News’ Kerri Breen and Ryan Rocca