Two new deaths and 78 new COVID cases in Hamilton
Hamilton is reporting 78 new COVID cases and two new COVID deaths.
One new outbreak has been declared at Notre Dame House Youth Shelter, with one case in a staff member. The site is a 24-hour emergency shelter with 21 beds for youths between the ages of 16 and 21.
As of Friday, public health was reporting 490 active cases of COVID within the city. There have been a total of 11,110 cases recoded over the last year, with 92 per cent of all cases now resolved.
Hamilton's weekly rate of new cases per 100,000 is now at 68, up from 65 the day before. A total of 2.9 per cent of COVID-19 tests from the past seven days were positive. Our reproduction number is 1.15. Anything above 1.0 is concerning to public health, as it means case counts are growing, not holding steady or shrinking.
Asked if Hamilton's worsening numbers might warrant the province's application of an emergency brake" and more restrictions, the city director leading the pandemic response said it's possible.
We are very much in a state of emergency and looking at large numbers of outbreaks and large numbers of cases in this community," said Paul Johnson at a media update Friday.
The two people who died with COVID were in their 60s. The new deaths bring Hamilton's death toll to 293. Public health includes anyone who died with COVID - not necessarily because of it - in their death count.
There are 28 active outbreaks in the city, five of which have cases screening positive for a variant of concern. They include: the Hamilton General Hospital's 5 West short stay medical unit, which has 23 cases and two deaths; Electromart Inc. with seven cases; AbleLiving Services York Supportive Housing with one case; St. Joseph Healthcare's West 5th Campus with seven cases; and DHL Logistics in Mount Hope with nine cases.
A total of 195 cases in Hamilton are screening positive - but have not yet been confirmed - as a variant of concern. Just five have been confirmed. All five are the B.1.1.7 United Kingdom variant. Public health has said it can take longer than two weeks to confirm cases are indeed variants.
An outbreak at Good Shepherd Women's Services, Mary's Place, is now over. There were three cases in clients.
A total of 48 people are in Hamilton hospitals with COVID.
Katrina Clarke is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: katrinaclarke@thespec.com