Hamilton Public Health (HPH) says the city’s total number of COVID-19 cases sits at 256, with nine deaths as of Monday afternoon.
According to the city, three new deaths were reported at Cardinal Retirement over the past few days with a 71-year-old man dying on Thursday, an 88-year-old man who died on Friday and 94-year-old woman revealed as the ninth death as of Monday.
In a conference call on April 13 medical officer of health, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson revealed there are now seven institutional outbreaks in the Hamilton area with Chartwell’s Deerview Crossing home, Kingsberry Place Seniors Residence on Limeridge Road, and Clarion Nursing Home in Stoney Creek joining the list.
Richardson says the city will now be expanding new coronavirus testing as per a new strategy outlined by the province on Friday.
“So now the testing includes symptomatic people from higher-risk populations. That includes symptomatic health-care workers, first responders, children attending essential daycares and others,” said Richardson.
The city’s medical officer says public health is still working with the operators of the care homes and trying to understand patterns between the operation of the homes and their residents.
Cardinal Retirement now has 22 residents and 13 workers infected with the virus as of April 13, while Heritage Green Nursing Home has 11 residents and three staff members.
Seniors homes now account for seven of the nine deaths in Hamilton as of Monday.
Public health says 114 of the city’s 256 cases have been resolved.
Fifty-nine of the city’s cases are tied directly to individuals with a travel history, while 64 have contracted the illness through community transmission.
Twenty-one people are in Hamilton hospitals receiving treatment for the disease: eight at St Joseph’s and 13 at Hamilton Health Sciences facilities.
Haldimand-Norfolk with 13 deaths connected to the new coronavirus
On Monday the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit reported two more deaths from the weekend tied to COVID-19 at a long-term care home in Hagersville.
Anson Place now has 13 deaths as of Monday with over 50 residents and 30 staff having tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The region has 144 lab-confirmed positive tests as of April 13.
Halton Region has 316 novel coronavirus cases, 11 deaths
Halton Region reported 316 positive COVID-19 tests as of Monday with another 40 probable cases, according to public health.
The region now has 11 deaths connected to the virus with another three reported on the weekend.
As of Saturday, Halton also declared an outbreak at two Joseph Brant Hospital in-patient units in Bulrington.
Two health-care workers and three patients within the 3 North 700 and 6 North units tested positive for the virus, according to public health.
Halton Region is also reporting six other outbreaks, all retirement residences, and long-term care homes.
Public health says 43 per cent of the region’s cases can be attributed to community transmission, while 23 per cent of positive tests are connected to travel.
Forty-eight of Halton’s COVID-19 cases work in health care.
Niagara Health reports 22 COVID-19 connected deaths
Niagara Health says 22 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have died in the agency’s hospitals, however it has not confirmed that all of the deaths were a result of the virus.
On Saturday, an outbreak was declared at one of its in-patient units at the St. Catharines site after a health-care worker tested positive for the virus.
Two-hundred-twenty-one positive cases have been admitted to the health agency, accounting for 88 per cent of Niagara Regions positive cases which is at 250 as of Monday.
More than a third of the region’s cases, 87, have now recovered from the virus.
Public health says 28 per cent of its cases are connected with travel, while 25 per cent have been traced to community spread.
Brant County with four new COVID-19 cases
Brant County’s health unit reported four new cases from the weekend, moving the region’s total number of cases to 64.
The only fatality tied to COVID-19 in the county so far is from April 2, when a woman in her 60s succumbed to the virus at a Brantford hospital.
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.