Five new COVID deaths, 74 new cases reported this weekend as Hamilton moves to ‘red zone’
The City of Hamilton is pleading with residents to restrict close contacts and social gatherings as COVID-19 continues to spread exponentially through the city and five deaths were reported over the weekend.
City spokesperson Jen Recine reiterated Hamilton's shift to red zone" in the province's pandemic framework, to help limit the spread of the virus while keeping schools open, maintaining health system capacity, protecting our most vulnerable, and avoiding broader lockdowns."
The city plans to assertively enforce" COVID rules, Recine said, as public health reported new cases at facilities with outbreaks and five new COVID deaths this weekend.
One woman in her early 70s died in the community late in the week. Another woman in her early 70s, who was a resident at Baywoods Place Long Term Care Home, died late in the week. A third woman in her mid-70s, a resident at Chartwell Willowgrove Long Term Care Residence, died this week. A man in his mid 80s, from Hamilton Continuing Care, died late this past week, the second death at Hamilton Continuing Care. Also a man in his late 80s, at Dundurn Place Care Centre, died this past week. Dundurn Place had two deaths in an earlier outbreak during the first wave.
The city now has 18 active outbreaks, not including schools and child care centres, after the outbreak at Shalom Village long-term-care home on Macklin Street North was declared over.
At the six worst impacted long-term care and retirement facilities in the city - Chartwell Willowgrove, Hamilton Continuing Care, Baywoods Place, The Village at Wentworth Heights, St. Joseph's Villa and Idlewyld Manor - 111 residents and 59 staff have tested positive for the virus.
The biggest outbreak in the city, declared Oct. 22, is Chartwell Willowgrove long-term-care home on Old Mohawk Road. That facility is now up to 63 cases; 38 residents and 25 staff members, including one member who the city calls an essential visitor/other." Nine people have died in the outbreak.
An outbreak at Idlewyld Manor long-term-care home on Sanatorium Road has continued to spread, now with nine cases; six residents and three staff now have the virus.
La Garderie Le Petit Navire Daycare on Cumberland Avenue has one new case, with five staff and one child now infected.
The newest outbreak, declared Nov. 12, is Cardinal Retirement Residence, with one resident infected.
The Herkimer Street retirement home was the site of one of Hamilton's worst outbreaks in April and May. By the time the outbreak was declared over May 5, 47 residents and 18 staff had been infected and seven residents of the home died.
Hamilton public health is now reporting a total of 2,415 COVID-19 cases, up 46 from the previous day. Including Saturday's total, the city is reporting 74 new cases over the weekend.
There are 400 active cases in Hamilton after that number dropped slightly Saturday. The city hit the 400 active case mark for the first time Friday.
In total, 1,948 people have recovered from the virus.
The five newly reported deaths bring the city's total to 65, which is three per cent of COVID cases.
Those who have died have been between the ages of 48 and over 100. All but eight people were age 70 or over with the majority being age 80 or over.
The reproduction rate of the virus in Hamilton is 1.25 as of Nov. 12. That means each case on average infects 1.25 people. Cases exponentially increase over time when the number is over 1.0.
That high reproduction rate, over 1.2 in the province's revised colour-coded stages, was justification for the announcement Friday that Hamilton will be bumped up two stages, to the red zone," on Monday.
Recine said, residents must restrict close contacts to their household members only and essential supports" while the city is in the red zone, though, those living alone can join with anther household for support.
Activities outside of the home should be limited to only the essentials, like work, school, shopping for food and gasoline and health care.
And all social gatherings should be restricted to immediate household members.
Hand washing and mask wearing are still essential, and residents must get tested and isolate if they are experiencing symptoms.
Jeremy Kemeny is a Hamilton-based web editor at The Spectator. Reach him via email: jkemeny@thespec.com