Hamilton records lowest number of new COVID cases in eight months

The city of Hamilton is reporting 14 new COVID cases Tuesday - the lowest daily case count since October 2020, according to city data.

The 2021 record low comes as cases in Hamilton have been dropping steadily in recent weeks, with just 25 new cases reported Monday.

Still, Hamilton has one of the highest COVID rates in the province. One expert told The Spectator on Monday this could be due to Hamilton's lagging vaccination rate.

Right now, approximately 59 per cent of Hamiltonians - all age groups - have received one vaccine dose compared to the 61 per cent of all Ontarians," said Ahmed Al-Jaishi, an epidemiologist with St. Joseph's Healthcare-affiliated ICES Western. The faster we increase our vaccination efforts, the quicker we will see cases drop."

But the city's COVID rate is also dropping. The most recent metrics, from Sunday, show the city had a seven-day case rate of 56 cases per 100,000 population, a figure not seen since March 6, according to city data.

There are currently 374 active cases in the city - the fewest since February, according to Spectator data.

A total of 13 outbreaks are active in the city. Seven are at workplaces or businesses, three are at supportive housing locations, one is at a childcare centre, one is at a hospital and one is at a CityHousing workshop hub.

No new outbreaks were declared Tuesday.

Outbreaks now declared over include Baywoods Place long-term care home and Conway Opportunity Homes Inc. supportive housing.

There are 54 patients in Hamilton hospitals with COVID, including 28 in the intensive care unit.

Katrina Clarke is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: katrinaclarke@thespec.com