Mu variant found in Hamilton as COVID numbers drop
The city's COVID numbers appear to be dropping, however, the new Mu variant has been found in Hamilton.
At the same time, vaccine passports have failed to boost COVID shots here in contrast to the uptick seen in the province as a whole.
Meanwhile, Hamilton's short-staffed hospitals are requiring the bare minimum in their vaccine mandates, avoiding the hard-line approach of Toronto's University Health Network.
Decreasing cases
Hamilton had Ontario's third highest COVID case rate Friday next to Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent. However, the rate has dropped 24 per cent in the last seven days, shows analysis done by epidemiologist Ahmed Al-Jaishi.
The six per cent of tests coming back positive for COVID in Hamilton was still the second highest in the province for the week of Aug. 29 to Sept. 4.
But only one local forward sortation area (FSA) - the first three characters in a postal code - was among the province's top 25 for test positivity. It compares to six FSAs for the week of Aug. 15 to Aug. 21.
In addition, the FSA - L8K in east Hamilton - barely made the list at 25th, with 9.2 per cent of tests coming back positive.
Other key COVID metrics are also decreasing, with average daily new cases at 51 on Sept. 8 compared to 80 on Aug. 31. During that same period, the weekly rate per 100,000 went down to 60 from 94.
However, Ontario's chief medical officer of health expects a surge of cases with kids back in school and as cooler weather drives gatherings indoors.
We will follow the data daily and react with appropriate public health measures," Dr. Kieran Moore said Tuesday.
In addition, the Mu variant has been found in Hamilton, Haldimand and Norfolk, Halton and Niagara, as well as other Ontario public health units.
The variant was first identified in Colombia and is being monitored by the World Health Organization. So far, it's considered a variant of interest as opposed to a variant of concern, which is when there is evidence of increased transmissibility and more severe illness.
No boost to COVID shots
While Moore says Ontario has seen an increase in COVID shots in advance of vaccine passports coming into effect Sept. 22, Hamilton hasn't experienced the same uptick.
Since the shots were announced Sept. 1, only one day had a small increase and it's unknown if it was related to the passports.
The city administered 2,096 COVID shots on Sept. 3 - the first day above 2,000 since Aug. 9.
However, it was followed by 612 doses on Sept. 6 - the lowest since mid-February.
Overall, vaccination stayed about the same with a daily average of 1,418 doses in the seven days before Sept. 1 compared to 1,384 in the seven days afterwards.
The August long weekend saw significantly more shots administered, with 8,069 given out from July 30 to Aug. 2 compared to 5,190 on the Labour Day weekend from Sept. 3 to Sept 6.
We anticipate seeing a boost in demand in the coming days and weeks," Hamilton public health said in a statement Friday.
Unvaccinated hospital staff
Hamilton's hospitals have gone with the bare minimum required when it comes to mandating vaccination among its current staff.
At both Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) and St. Joseph's Healthcare, the unvaccinated will be given education and required to undergo regular testing.
It's in sharp contrast to Toronto's University Health Network, which plans to put staff who aren't vaccinated by Oct. 8 on unpaid leave for two weeks. After that, they face termination.
Moore has said some Ontario children's hospitals as well as academic and research hospitals are going above the minimum required, but he didn't name them.
Burlington's Joseph Brant Hospital will start out with the same approach as Hamilton. However, it plans to proceed to mandatory vaccination as of Nov. 1 if staff remain unvaccinated. It's not clear what that means.
The number of unvaccinated hospital staff is still unknown despite a deadline of Sept. 1 for self-reporting their vaccination status.
HHS didn't provide any information about how many remain unvaccinated.
St. Joseph's said nearly 13 per cent have medical or religious exemptions, have not responded, deferred notification or are unvaccinated.
At Joseph Brant, 79.4 per cent of staff responded and of those, 96.2 per cent were fully vaccinated.
Joanna Frketich is a Hamilton-based reporter covering health for The Spectator. Reach her via email: jfrketich@thespec.com