Rapid COVID-19 tests, active screenings in the cards for Hamilton students as Omicron surges

Even though Hamilton’s schools are set to close for the holidays, public health is asking the two local boards to take additional measures amid the rapid spread of the new COVID-19 Omicron variant.

Additionally, the boards have begun distributing rapid antigen screening kits to students as their own measure in keeping with a mid-November promise by the Ford government of a winter COVID-19 testing strategy.

“This is completely voluntary, but it is an additional measure you can take to reduce the risk of COVID coming back into our schools following the break,” Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) chair Dawn Danko said in a statement.

Distribution of the kits began this month and is expected to be completed by the end of Friday for both boards.

“Our procurement purchasing department has worked tirelessly over the last few weeks to coordinate the distribution of the rapid tests, and they have all been distributed in schools or are in the process of, by the end of the week,” Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB) chair Pat Daly told Global News.

Going home with each student who’s been doing in-person learning is a package of five tests with the suggestion that asymptomatic students conduct the rapid antigen tests every three to four days over the holiday break.

The suggested days are every Monday and Thursday beginning Dec. 23, until all five tests have been used.

Students with symptoms or identified as a close contact are being told to seek a PCR test, and not rely on rapid antigen screenings.

Hamilton’s medical officer of health says active screening is another measure health officials are asking the boards to take upon the return of students in the new year.

“We’ve asked them to do as much as possible to go back to active screening and to ensure that they are not having … kids come into school that are sick,” Dr. Elizabeth Richardson told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton.

Other asks from the local boards and public health include adherence to Canada’s international travel policies, which prohibit children under 12 from returning to school or childcare before finishing a 14-day quarantine period, and ensuring they stay connected in case of changes in school operations.

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In the last 14 days, both public boards have reported 124 COVID cases, with 112 of them among students.

It’s a substantial change from a month ago, when the boards reported a combined 31 active cases on Nov. 15.  Twenty-seven were among students.

Fifteen of Hamilton’s 28 reported outbreaks in the city, as of Wednesday, are in schools – eleven at elementary facilities, a pair at secondary outlets and one at a private school.

There are 41 cases in all with six new surges accounting for 17 cases as of Dec. 15.

The new outbreaks are at Frank Panabaker South Elementary School in Ancaster, Grace Christian in Millgrove, Holy Name of Mary Catholic, Rousseau, Timothy Christian and Ryerson Elementary School in the city centre.

Richardson says the city is also advising measures around traditional school gatherings.

“We are asking them as well to look at (all) social gatherings that were planned and not hold those over the remainder of the time that kids are in school,” Richardson said.

Officials are also asking kids to keep to their cohorts at recess “so that kids are not mixing as much,” and that participation in high-contact extracurriculars be limited to fully vaccinated students only.

As a precaution, the HWDSB says it’s reviewing a ‘Remote Readiness Plan.’ In a release, the board said device deployment would begin after the holiday break and only if a decision is made to move exclusively to full remote learning.

The HWCDSB is advising students to take home their belongings because of the latest COVID-19 surge, in the event of a move to remote learning or an extension to time off.

The final call on a closure of schools or move to at-home learning would be made by Ontario’s Ministry of Education.

Public health reported 93 new COVID cases on Wednesday, a number not seen since the summer when the city revealed 95 cases on Aug. 27.

Hamilton’s average number of daily COVID-19 cases over the last seven days went up again day over day to 56, from the 53 reported Tuesday. The last time the city saw that number was on Sept. 6 when the weekly average case rate was also 56.

The city’s case count per 100,000 is now at 66 per week, more than double numbers recorded on November 30th.

Active cases are also up between Tuesday and Wednesday, moving from 411 to 423.

More than 78 per cent of active cases are in people under the age of 50, while 46 per cent of infected individuals are under the age of 30.

The city reported eight new outbreaks on Tuesday with six in schools. As of Dec. 15, there are 28 surges across the city tied to 83 total cases.

Hospitals in Hamilton added three more COVID-19 patients overnight, and are now reporting a combined 29 COVID-19 patients as of Dec. 15.

Last Wednesday, both St. Joe’s and Hamilton Health Sciences reported a combined 13 patients.

Richardson says COVID-19 hospitalizations are still considered to be low with an average of less than one new admission per day.

However, the top doc said there are concerns in that area since the severity of diseases the new variant brings with it is still not known.

“Staff are working very hard … across Ontario and around the world to understand what the disease … and see what level of severity it has,” Richardson said.

Hamilton’s health partners administered close to 3,900 vaccine doses on Tuesday, a 60 per cent increase in shots compared with a week ago Tuesday.

Over 20,000 doses have been administered over the past seven days which is up from the estimated 17,000 given out the seven days before.

As of Tuesday, 78.7 per cent of eligible Hamiltonians over the age of five have been fully vaccinated while 83.3 per cent have had at least a single dose.

Just over 85 per cent of residents aged 12-plus have had at least a pair of shots, while about 88 per cent have had one.

The city is still behind the provincial average which has 87.7 per cent fully vaccinated 12-plus, and 90.3 per cent with at least a single dose.

Over 90 per cent of those aged 60-plus in the city have had a set of shots and are fully vaccinated.

Excluding newly eligible kids aged five to 11, Hamiltonians in the 18-24 age group represent the lowest vaccination rates of those eligible in the community at just over 77 per cent fully vaccinated.