Public health officials say “close contact between apartment residents” appears to be the cause of a large COVID-19 outbreak at a 17-storey apartment building in central Hamilton.
In a release on Tuesday afternoon, the city said paramedics will be making a trip to Rebecca Towers on Rebecca Street and Wellington Street North on Thursday to test all residents in the complex.
The surge involves 55 total cases and one death since mid-March. Officials say there are currently 28 active cases in the surge.
“These cases are spread across 17 different units on 10 separate floors,” the city said in its statement.
Get weekly health news
An investigation revealed socializing between individuals from different units and it’s believed to be the common factor contributing to the transmission between households, according to public health.
Case and contact management investigations continue for all residents who tested positive and the virus’ spread within the apartment building.
The city says a number of additional measures are expected to be implemented in the building over the next week including capacity limits on the elevator and in shared laundry amenities.
Rebecca Towers is a 164 unit apartment building.
Hamilton has 37 outbreaks across the city involving 343 total cases as of May 4.
Over 140 cases are tied to 17 outbreaks in workplace settings.
Comments