Health officials in Hamilton, Ont., reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, putting the city’s total number of cases up to 755 since the pandemic began.
There are now 748 confirmed novel coronavirus cases, with another seven probable infections.
No new deaths were reported on June 12. The city has 42 total deaths connected to COVID-19.
The city has no current institutional outbreaks, and has 37 patients with COVID-19 in hospitals: Hamilton Health Sciences has 18 while St. Joseph’s hospitals have 19.
To date, 598 of the city’s 755 known COVID-19 cases — or 79 per cent — have been resolved.
In an update on Friday, the city’s medical officer of health reminded residents that Hamilton will remain in the first wave of Ontario’s reopening plan this coming weekend. A number of nearby regions like Guelph, Kitchener, and Brant County, however, will be moving into ‘stage two’ allowing a number of local businesses and services to open back up.
“I know we weren’t in that very first wave of reopening, just as 80 per cent of the population here in Ontario was. That’s because we are a larger municipality,” said Dr. Elizabeth Richardson.
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Richardson went on to say that the city will be revealing some guidelines for businesses and restaurants in the next few days as Hamilton prepares to join the rest of the province in the second phase of reopening.
Keeping staff and customers six feet apart, recommending that staff and customers wear a mask, and screening signs advising people to stay home if they are sick are just some of the tactics public health will recommend to businesses.
“We do ask that people maintain a checking log of staff and customers. That’s in case there are cases related to the restaurant so that we can do that contact tracing,” said Richardson.
Richardson said the city will know Monday whether Hamilton will be able to enter Stage 2.
“So I’m hopeful we’ll be able to move there. It depends on how the next few days go and then discussions further at the provincial level as well,” Richardson said.
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The city has also launched an interactive online mapping tool on the city’s website Friday which allows people who are interested to look at the location of confirmed, positive, and probable cases by neighborhood.
Niagara Region reports no new COVID-19 cases
Niagara public health officials reported no new coronavirus cases on Friday. The region has 722 total cases with 81 of them active.
St. Catharines remains the region’s coronavirus hot spot, with five cases per 10,000 people.
The region reported no new deaths, leaving the total at 61, with 50 tied to long-term care or retirement homes.
The region has two institutional outbreaks at one long-term-care home (Garden City Manor in St. Catharines), and one retirement home (Albright Manor in Lincoln).
Eighty per cent of Niagara’s cases have been resolved.
Haldimand-Norfolk reports 6 new COVID-19 cases
Haldimand-Norfolk reported six new COVID-19 cases on Friday, putting the region’s overall total to 412 since the pandemic began.
Officials said 141 patients have since recovered, while 31 have died.
On Friday, health officials updated the total number of cases connected to the outbreak in Vittoria, Ont., at the Scotlynn Farm facility. As of June 12, the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit (HNHU) said 169 workers tested positive for COVID-19, while 18 others associated with the farm have also tested positive.
Two migrant workers are in hospital, with one in an intensive care unit.
Halton region reports 6 new COVID-19 cases
Halton Region reported six new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. The region now has 767 cases, including 694 confirmed positive and 73 probable cases.
The region still has 25 deaths tied to COVID-19 as of June 12, with 11 being the result of an outbreak at an institution.
West Milton is the region’s hot spot, with more than 25 cases per 10,000 people, officials said. North Central Oakville follows close behind with 24.
About 651 cases, or more than 85 per cent, have been resolved.
The region has one institutional outbreak at CAMA Woodlands Long-term Care Home in Burlington. At least one staff member has tested positive.
Seventy-eight cases are connected to residents or patients in an institution.
Brant County reports no new COVID-19 cases
Brant County’s health unit reported no new COVID-19 cases on Friday. The region has 117 total confirmed cases.
The county still has four deaths and 106 total resolved cases.
There are no outbreaks, and seven people are in hospital with the virus.
On Friday, Brant county was allowed to enter phase two of Ontario’s reopening plan. Medical officer of health, Dr. Elizabeth Urbantke, said although the region is recommending face coverings be worn in some businesses, they will not be mandatory as per guidelines set out in some similar-sized communities such as Guelph and Wellington County.
“There is a worry that mandatory face coverings could create some health inequities within our community, with some not being able to access masks and others — because of health issues — not being able to wear them safely,” said Urbantke.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
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. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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