Four new COVID-19 outbreaks in Hamilton including one at Foot Locker
Hamilton has four new COVID-19 outbreaks, bringing the city's total number of active outbreaks to 14 on Wednesday.
According to public health, the outbreaks include Foot Locker in CF Lime Ridge Mall, Flynn Canada Ltd., a commercial roofing company, ArcelorMittal's east end location and St. Joseph's Villa long-term-care home in Dundas.
In each setting, two staff members tested positive, with the exception of St. Joseph's Villa where one staff member tested positive. The four outbreaks were declared Tuesday but were only made public Wednesday.
Hamilton public health declares outbreaks when there is evidence of transmission within a setting or, in the case of long-term-care homes, when there is just one case.
There are also 26 new COVID cases in the city. The numbers are reported Tuesday at 3 p.m., so it is possible there are more new cases as of Wednesday that have yet to be reported. There are 150 active cases. Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 1,585 people in Hamilton have tested positive. Of those cases, 87 per cent or 1,386 cases are considered resolved. There have been 47 deaths and 161 people have been hospitalized.
Last week, The Spectator reported two workers at the ArcelorMittal wire plant had tested positive.
Asked why an outbreak wasn't declared Tuesday, Hamilton public health spokesperson Jacqueline Durlov said: In this case, it didn't meet the provincial definition for an outbreak."
Asked if the two outbreak cases are the same as the two from last week, Durlov said: We don't comment on individual cases."
Other ongoing outbreaks include SpinCo, which held at 50 primary cases but added one secondary case Wednesday, bringing the total cases to 81, Radius restaurant which has six cases, Amica Dundas seniors' home with one case in a staff member, Cardinal Retirement Residence with one case in a staff member, Parkview Nursing Centre with one case in a staff member, I.H. Mission Services with one case in a staff member, Macassa Lodge with two cases in staff members, Kushies Baby with three cases in staff, Sacred Heart of Jesus Elementary School with two cases in staff and Dundurn Place Care Centre, fourth floor, with one staff member and one resident testing positive.
The outbreak at Shannen Koostachin Elementary School, which saw two staff members test positive, is now over.
This is the second outbreak for a number of the settings, including Cardinal Retirement Residence, Dundurn Place Care Centre and St. Joseph's Villa. These settings saw outbreaks in the first wave. Cardinal Retirement Residence saw the first outbreak spread to at least 65 people.
Katrina Clarke is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: katrinaclarke@thespec.com