Hamilton’s MOH suggests local control measures could help curb rising COVID-19 cases

With 39 outbreaks across Hamilton and COVID-19 infections among youth on the rise, the city’s medical officer of health believes there will be “broader discussions” with the province about further local control measures amid a third wave of the pandemic.

Amid a “disappointing” weekend in which Hamilton bylaw officers had to enforce provincial orders at a local bar and a residential party of over 100, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson says the stresses the city is seeing with it’s case load likely have to be managed through more control.

“You’ve seen from the province, they’re talking about making more control measures available to the chief medical officer of health so that they can bring about further changes based on what’s happening locally,” said Richardson.

Hamilton descended into the grey-lockdown level of the province’s reopening framework on Monday, which essentially discourages residents to leave home unless for essential reasons.

During last week’s general issues committee meeting, the MOH talked to councillors about measures that worked through the second wave and how a broader province-wide shut down curbed numbers.

Richardson told councillors said she was “not convinced” the city alone should move into a lockdown, believing it would not have “a significant impact” on limiting the disease or mortality from the virus.

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“So definitely I’ve been saying that we are going to have to move forward with a broader range of control measures. It’s just a matter of how widespread those are and exactly when they happen,” said Richardson.

The top doc says bringing down case numbers is one of two critical elements the city needs to exit the pandemic, the other being mass vaccinations.

“So we have some time yet before vaccination rates based on vaccine supply are going to get up to a level where it’s really going to cut down on the growth in the cases,” Richardson said.

“So these public health measures that we talk about continue to be the mainstay of what we need to do.”

Hamilton reported 63 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and five new outbreaks.

The surges included a pair of cases at two east end elementary schools, the Kiwanis Boys and Girls Club at Viscount Montgomery and Lake Avenue.

The outbreaks at Lisgar on the East Mountain and St. James the Apostle Catholic in Stoney Creek each involve two student cases.

The Apostle cases are tied to a school bus outbreak, according to public health.

The city says there are now 10 outbreaks at Hamilton-area schools involving 30 students as of March 29, all elementary.

The Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) reported 75 total cases for the week ending March 27 with 68 among students and another seven staff cases.

Forty-five of the cases were elementary students.

Meanwhile the Catholic school board says it currently has 20 active cases involving 18 students and 2 staff. There are 12 cases involving elementary school students.

There was one workplace outbreak revealed on Monday at the Arby’s location in Stoney Creek, reporting two staff cases.

Two outbreaks were declared over at the Hatts Off group home and at St. Joe’s hospital’s dialysis unit at the Charlton campus. The outbreaks involved just two cases each.

Active cases went down slightly by 9 to 729 as of March 29.

There have now been 12,568 total coronavirus cases since the pandemic began last year.

The city’s two hospitals have a combined 115 patients being treated for COVID-19, 84 at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) facilities and 31 at St. Joe’s.

About 43 per cent (377) of the city’s 876 new cases in the last 10 days involve people under the age of 29.