Hamilton’s St. Peter’s hospital says latest coronavirus cases tied to outbreak

A Hamilton hospital says another patient and two health-care workers have the coronavirus after undergoing testing in a palliative care unit that declared an outbreak on Monday.

Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) says it closed it’s 3 West and 3 East palliative care units at St. Peter’s hospital after a patient tested positive for the virus on Monday.

The hospital said in a statement on Thursday that all other patients have tested negative in the unit and it remains closed to new admissions while it’s thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

All other units of the hospital remain open.

HHS declared the initial outbreak at the inpatient unit after a patient tested positive for the virus Monday.

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St. Peter’s is one of seven COVID-19 outbreaks in Hamilton as of April 24.

Emmanuel House, Wesley supportive housing, Good Shepard Men’s Centre, Heritage Green Nursing home, Cardinal retirement residences and Dundurn Place Care Centre are the six institutions with an ongoing outbreak.

Hamilton has 364 total cases of the novel coronavirus reported as of Thursday, with 359 confirmed cases and five probable.

The city says there are now 17 deaths connected to COVID-19.

“Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

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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.

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