A Hamilton-based pediatric doctor is suggesting that the majority of the city’s COVID-19 cases trending younger may be a sort of “good news.”
Dr. Martha Fulford, an infectious disease specialist with McMaster Children’s Hospital and Hamilton Health Sciences, says the change could mean the affliction may be moving away from the part of the population that has been vaccinated.
“It’s a good news story that we’re seeing it in the younger people, it tells us that the vaccines are remarkably effective because the demographics have shifted,” said Fulford.
Hamilton’s vaccination rollout has now moved on to residents aged 70 and older due to health-care partners making progress amid Phase 1 of the province’s reopening framework.
Close to 94,000 or 15.2 per cent of the city’s 500,000 residents have had at least a one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to public health.
As of Tuesday, about 43 per cent (407) of the city’s 952 new cases in the last 10 days involve people under the age of 29.
Fulford believes new variants are likely the cause of increases in overall cases in recent weeks since they are more transmissible than the original coronavirus.
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Despite increases in cases among the younger population, the city has recorded no deaths under 30.
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Of those under 30 that have been infected, few have been impacted by significant health events from the bug, particularly children.
“While it does seem to get somewhat more transmissible in terms of the spectrum of disease and vulnerability, it’s the same effect” said Fulford.
“So children are still, for the most part, not being seen to get severe disease at all.”
Fulford says a developing immune system is one medical theory she has adapted as a likely scenario on why children are not really affected by the coronavirus.
“Probably the one that maybe has the most teeth behind it, so to speak, is that children have fewer of the receptors in the respiratory tract that the virus binds to,” Fulford said.
“It’s one of the ironically good news stories of the pandemic, is that for younger children, for adolescents and really for younger adults, it’s essentially a very benign virus.”
Infectious disease specialist with St. Joseph’s Hospital Zain Chagla says although many young people are generally not ending up in ICUs with COVID-19, there is still a danger that some will if numbers continue to spin out of control.
“If you have enough young people infected, there’s enough of those that will end up in hospital just by the numbers.”
Hamilton reports three more COVID-19 deaths, 162 new cases
Hamilton reported 162 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and three more virus-related deaths tied to outbreaks at city hospitals.
St. Peter’s, Hamilton General’s short stay unit and the Juravinski’s F3 unit all recorded a single death.
The deaths have been attributed to two people in their 80s and one person in their 70s.
There have been 312 COVID-19-related deaths since the pandemic began.
Public health says there are also three new outbreaks at a workplace, shelter and senior’s home.
The surge at Connon Nurseries in Waterdown is the largest of the three, with eight cases involving staff members.
Outbreaks at Mission Services overflow shelter in the east end and at the Orchard retirement home in Stoney Creek have just single cases among staff members.
One outbreak was declared over on Monday at the Kingdom Worship Centre on the Mountain which had 11 case and no deaths in a surge that lasted 12 days.
Charges were laid against the church last week for not enforcing the city’s face covering bylaw.
The city says there are now 41 active outbreaks in the Hamilton-area accounting for over 350 coronavirus cases as of March 30.
Public schools account for the most outbreaks, 10 involving 30 cases. Five area hospitals account for 120 total cases since mid-March and 11 virus-related deaths
Active cases are up day over day to 184 as of Tuesday.
There have now been 12,730 total coronavirus cases since the pandemic began last year.
The city’s two hospitals have a combined 101 patients being treated for COVID-19, 71 at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) facilities and 30 at St. Joe’s.
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