Hamilton reports 29 new COVID cases over weekend

Hamilton was down to one active COVID-19 outbreak over the weekend as the number of emerging cases continues to dwindle amid vaccination efforts.

On Saturday, the city reported 19 new cases and noted 10 more on Sunday.

Those daily counts mark 22 consecutive days of 35 or fewer new cases, and make for a seven-day average of 14.

Just a month ago, there were 751 active cases and 41 outbreaks across Hamilton.

The sole remaining outbreak over the weekend was at Meadowlands Preschool and Daycare in Ancaster, where two children tested positive for the virus.

Outbreaks at Bistro Vie in Dundas (two staff cases) and Dundas Retirement Place (two staff, two residents and one death) were declared over.

On Sunday, the city noted 128 active cases, which are part of the cumulative total of 21,236 since the pandemic struck in March 2020.

Roughly 95 per cent of those people have recovered, while there have been 399 deaths.

So far, nearly 73 per cent of Hamilton adult residents have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine while about 27 per cent have been fully inoculated, the city says.

Over the weekend, local youngsters aged 12 to 17 were able to start booking accelerated second doses through the provincial online portal or participating pharmacies.

On Monday, starting at 8 a.m., people 18 or older who have received their first dose of an mRNA vaccine - Moderna or Pfizer - can book their second appointments for 28 days after their first inoculation.

For more booking information, visit the city's website at www.hamilton.ca/VaccineBooking or reach the provincial call centre at 1-888-999-6488.

For a list of pharmacies offering vaccinations, visit covid-19.ontario.ca/vaccine-locations.

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com