New travel case of COVID-19, linked to U.S outbreak, found in Niagara

Niagara's seven-day streak of new COVID-19 cases being counted in single digits came to an end Thursday, with one new case highlighting the risk to a region bordering the United States.

Of the 12 new cases confirmed Thursday, one was classified as travel-related" - a health-care worker who lives in Niagara but works in the U.S.

Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Niagara's acting medical officer of health, said the person appears to have contracted the novel coronavirus on the job where co-workers have also tested positive for COVID-19.

While pointing out one case does not constitute a trend - Niagara hasn't had a travel-related case since April 27, and the one before that was April 7 - Hirji said the case does highlight the risk to Niagara being a neighbour to an American state where the virus continues to spread rapidly.

The situation in both Erie County and Niagara County, both of which border Niagara, is that they have a lot more cases than we do here and they are doing a lot less testing and contact tracing than we are doing here," said Hirji.

Hirji said Erie County had 95 new cases this week, while Niagara County had 16. About 18 per cent of those tested in the counties have the virus, he said. In Niagara Region that figure is between three per cent and four per cent.

Since March, Hirji has been concerned that the counties could be a vector for spreading the virus in Niagara. Although the border is locked down save for essential travel, including trade, there are still Niagara residents who cross the border regularly for work.

Premier Doug Ford has said he wants the borders to remain locked down until COVID-19 in America is under control, an opinion shared by some Niagara municipalities and businesses.

Of the new 12 new cases confirmed Thursday eight were connected to local outbreaks in hospitals and long-term care homes. Three were from an unknown source of infection.

The total brings the historic number of cases in Niagara to 575, with 99 of those still active cases.

At least 56 people with the virus have died in Niagara, more than 80 per cent of them residents of long-term care and retirement homes.

While long-term care home outbreaks remain the most significant source of COVID-19 infections, Hirji said in recent days the number of new cases from two Niagara Health hospital outbreaks outnumbered new long-term care home cases.

In the three long-term care homes with the most serious outbreaks in Niagara, new cases have declined sharply over the past week. There are still outbreaks at Greater Niagara General Hospital in Niagara Falls and at St. Catharines hospital.

Hirji said due to the shift in where outbreak cases are coming from, the public health department will soon start breaking down hospital cases versus long-term care home cases as part of its daily pandemic updates.