Hamilton’s top doc ‘not convinced’ new lockdown would impact disease or deaths from COVID-19

Hamilton’s medical officer of health says she’s “not convinced” the city should move into a lockdown despite recent increases in COVID-19 infections.

Dr. Elizabeth Richardson told councilors in a virtual committee meeting on Wednesday that she doesn’t believe a move into the ‘grey-lockdown’ level of the province’s reopening framework will provide “a significant impact’ in limiting the disease or mortality from it.

“It will have a significant impact on business in terms of what happens for them, especially as rules were changed to do some opening up last week and then potentially to do some more closing down,” Richardson said during the city’s general issues committee meeting.

The top doc admits the city is at “a critical point” in terms of current control measures and in epidemiological numbers, which she says supports a move into ‘grey.’

But Richardson believes any lockdown needs to be broader and encompass surrounding communities, not just Hamilton.

“The biggest impact that we saw was doing a broader lockdown on a broader basis rather than just doing it on our area alone,” Richardson said.

The analysis is similar to the thoughts of Niagara’s acting medical officer Dr. Mustafa Hirji who suggested on Monday “more people interacting” across municipalities and a rising trend in community spread could impact the region’s ability to avoid a third wave of infection.

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The rise in key epidemiological numbers from neighbouring Hamilton are a concern for Hirji who said the city’s cases per 100,000 population reaching 100 is a key indicator that could translate to a spread of cases across Southern Ontario.

“So they’re becoming actually the number two spot in (Southern) Ontario in terms of cases,” said Hirji. “And of course, being right across our border, that’s a very big concern. That’s where we’re going to see a spillover and an increase in cases here.”

Richardson says the “minor changes” a move into the ‘grey-lockdown’ level would bring probably would not be enough to stem “severe disease and death” from the rising coronavirus cases.

She told councilors the answer to the problem is getting vaccines into arms.

“But we have a ways to go yet in terms of rolling out that vaccination program and it’s dependent on largely supply in terms of getting it out,” Richardson said.

Hamilton reported 87 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday and another virus-related death.

Public health says the deceased was a person in their 70s. The city has now had 302 deaths among people who tested positive for COVID-19.

There were two new outbreaks recorded on Wednesday: at a hospital and pizza place in Waterdown.

St. Peter’s Hospital reported three patient cases in its outbreak which started on Tuesday, while the Gino’s Pizza outbreak involves four staffers.

Outbreaks at the Community Church in Millgrove and St. Lawrence Catholic Elementary school ended on Tuesday. The church recorded 10 total cases over nine days, St. Lawrence had just a pair of cases involving students.

Of Hamilton’s current outbreaks, public health has tied 340 coronavirus cases and six deaths to 33 locations. The latest deaths tied to outbreaks, recorded in the last few days, were from Rygiel Supports for Community Living on the Mountain and Hamilton General’s short stay medical unit.

Active cases are up day over day to 746 from 713 as of March 24.

There have now been 12,099 total coronavirus cases since the pandemic began last year.

The city’s two hospitals have a combined 112 patients being treated for COVID-19, 87 at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) facilities and 25 at St. Joe’s.

About 39 per cent (327) of the city’s 841 new cases in the last 10 days involve people under the age of 29.

As of Wednesday, close to 75,000 total COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the city — about 43,000 through the Hamilton Health Sciences fixed clinic, another 12,000 through St. Joe’s, around 1,000 at First Ontario and just over 19,000 through mobile clinics.