Coronavirus: Hamilton’s medical officer says 55 new COVID-19 cases on Monday ‘still quite high’

Hamilton public health reported 55 new COVID-19 cases on Monday with active cases dropping for the fourth day in a row.

The city’s active cases have dropped by almost 100 since Thursday, from 710 to 615 as of Feb. 1.

Despite the decline, the city’s medical officer of health characterized the numbers as “still quite high” during an update on Monday.

“Today we have a total of 46 local outbreaks, which is below our peak of 53, but still a very high number,” said Dr. Elizabeth Ricahrdson.

“We want to see those continue to come down here in Hamilton. So we very much need the (provincial) control measures that are in place.”

Twenty-seven of the city’s current outbreaks are in health care facilities with another 10 in community settings, six workplaces, and three daycares.

The only new outbreak is at the Grace Villa Nursing Home, involving just a single case with a staffer. The home recently came out of an outbreak on Jan. 19 after recording 44 deaths and 234 coronavirus cases among residents and staff.

Richardson said a number of partners, including the province, hospitals and community care organizations, worked with the Grace Villa which revealed a need for more staff during the outbreak.

“Suffice to say, we were very concerned from the outset knowing that there had been challenges with this home previously,” Richardson said.

“That’s why we were very quick to review with the province, bring them on board and make sure they were aware of the things that we were seeing with our inspections and the concerns we had.”

The city’s two hospital agencies, HHS and St. Joe’s, have a combined nine current outbreaks in local health facilities. There are more than 150 cases connected to the surges involving at least 70 patients and 80 workers. There have been five deaths tied to the outbreaks with three from Juravinski’s F4 Acute Care Service Unit.

The weekly rate of new cases per 100,000 population is now at 84, and the reproduction rate for the city is still below 1 at 0.98 — signifying that the average number of secondary cases are still under control, according to provincial guidelines.

There were no new deaths on Monday. Hamilton has had 232 virus-related deaths.

Public health has now recorded 9,238 total COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began last March.

Halton reports 57 new COVID-19 cases

Halton region reported 57 new COVID-19 cases with active cases dropping for the fifth day in a row from 389 on Sunday to 383 on Monday.

Burlington has 136 active cases, Halton Hills 46, Milton 108 and Oakville 93.

Halton has 38 total outbreaks, 12 of them in health-care facilities. The largest continues to be the outbreak in Georgetown at Extendicare Halton Hills which has had 168 total cases and 23 deaths since the outbreak started on Dec. 4.

The region has had 8,439 coronavirus cases since the pandemics began. Halton reported no new deaths on Monday.

Niagara records 5 new COVID-19 deaths, 57 new cases.

Niagara region reported another five coronavirus-related deaths amid the pandemic on Monday. The region has had 316 COVID-19-related deaths since last March.

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The region added another 57 cases and saw active cases drop for an eighth-day in a row from 1,156 active cases as of Sunday to 1,119 on Monday.

There 43 active outbreaks according to public health with 26 across health facilities, 10 in St. Catharines and five in Niagara Falls.

Niagara Health continues to manage five outbreaks at hospitals in St Catharines and Welland.

The St. Catharines site has 14 combined active cases among the emergency department and an inpatient unit.

The Welland site has 12 active cases between three units, its sixth floor, fourth floor and extended care unit.

The agency is still managing an outbreak at the Oakwood Park Lodge long-term care home with just two active cases as of Monday. The home has had 148 cases and 34 deaths since its outbreak began on Dec. 12.

Niagara has had 7,941 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.

Public health says 142 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered on Sunday. The region has given coronavirus vaccines to over 4,300 people as of Monday.

Haldimand-Norfolk reports 6 new COVID-19 cases

Haldimand-Norfolk’s public health unit recorded just six new coronavirus cases on Monday.

The region’s active cases dropped for the eighth-day in a row moving from 56 on Sunday to 52 on Feb. 1.

The outbreak at Parkview Meadows in Townsend was declared over on the weekend leaving the region with six at Cedarwood Village LTHC in Simcoe, Dover Cliffs LTCH, Edgewater Gardens LTCH in Dunnville, Grandview Lodge retirement home in Dunnville, the nursing home in Norfolk General, and Norview Lodge.

The counties combined have 1,327 lab-confirmed positive results since the pandemic began.

There were no new deaths. The region has had 38 combined coronavirus-connected deaths.

Brant County reports no new coronavirus cases, 1 death

Brant County’s health unit says the region’s ninth death was a male in his 50’s who was suspected to have contracted the virus through community transmission.

It’s the third death public health has reported in 11 days previously going 24 days before reporting the seventh death on Jan 22.

The region saw its active cases drop by one over the weekend with 51 recorded for Monday.

The county has one institutional outbreak at the Stedman Community Hospice in Brantford. The facility has one resident case and seven staff cases.

Public health says more than 2,500 people have been vaccinated against the virus and that its mobile vaccination clinic has completed work at all 18 long-term care and retirement homes in the jurisdiction.

Brant’s COVID-19 vaccination program is now on hold at least until March due to delays in vaccine deliveries from overseas.

The county has had 1,352 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began.