COVID hospitalizations on the rise in Hamilton

Hospital admissions for COVID are on the rise in Hamilton at the same time that a leaked provincial report shows this area has among the most strained emergency departments in Ontario.

The steady climb of COVID hospitalizations over the last two weeks, reported by public health Thursday, also comes as McMaster Children's Hospital has raised alarm about unprecedented overcrowding that is leading to long emergency department waits and delays to surgery that could have lifelong consequences for development.

In addition, the increase of severe illness coincides with a lukewarm uptake to the bivalent booster that protects against both the original COVID virus and Omicron.

There has been less of that immediate surge of significant demand we experienced with previous phases of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout," Hamilton's medical officer of health Dr. Elizabeth Richardson said in a statement. With immunity from a previous infection and vaccine protection decreasing over time, we continue to encourage all Hamiltonians to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccination in preparation for the fast approaching influenza and respiratory illness season."

Youth aged 12 to 17 become eligible for the bivalent booster Monday and can book an appointment at hamilton.ca/GetYourVaccine or go to their neighbourhood pharmacy. It doesn't matter if previous boosters have been missed - the only requirement is the original two doses.

The boosters are considered key to protecting Hamilton's already overcrowded hospitals from being overwhelmed during a predicted fall wave that is expected to see cases start to increase this month and peak in December.

Scarsin Forecasting decreased the number of Hamiltonians predicted to be hospitalized during this wave because of the wide availability of bivalent boosters. The new estimate is 340 COVID hospitalizations from Oct. 5 to Dec. 31. It compares to the previous forecast of 553 hospitalizations from Sept. 19 to Dec. 31.

However, the number of hospitalizations forecast has increased in the past when vaccine uptake has been lower than expected.

So far, 26,830 bivalent shots have been administered in Hamilton as of Oct. 11. Richardson said demand continues to be steady, with clinics booking up regularly.

As we escape cooler temperatures and spend more time together indoors this fall, Hamiltonians 12 plus should book an appointment for a bivalent COVID-19 booster to strengthen their ability to fight off COVID-19 infection and reduce the risk against severe COVID-19 outcomes like hospitalization, ICU admission and death," said Richardson.

While COVID shots don't necessarily stop infection, Hamilton data consistently shows they are effective at preventing severe illness with vast divides in rates between the unvaccinated and the boosted.

The vaccination rates in this province have been thoroughly underwhelming," said Dr. Adil Shamji, Ontario Liberal health critic.

Shamji obtained and distributed Wednesday the Ontario Health report that revealed the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand and Brant Local Health Integration Network, which includes Burlington, had among the most overcrowded emergency departments in the province with some of the longest waits.

The situation is only expected to get worse as the flu season starts at the same time a wave of COVID is expected.

So far this fall, COVID transmission in Hamilton has been moderate and stable.

The number of reported cases, new COVID-19 hospital admissions, test positivity, wastewater signal and active outbreaks have remained relatively stable over the past two weeks," stated the city's weekly update Thursday.

However, the average number of Hamiltonians hospitalized each day was up to 2.1 on Oct. 10 from 1.0 on Oct. 3 and 0.6 on Sept. 26.

In addition, the city has reported six more COVID deaths of seniors age 80 and over from Sept. 16 to Oct. 12, bringing pandemic fatalities to 616.

A death was also reported in an outbreak at Blackadar Continuing Care Centre, where 48 tested positive in an outbreak from Sept. 6 to Oct. 11. Overall, Hamilton had 19 active outbreaks in high-risk settings as of Wednesday.

To make getting vaccinated easier, the city switched Wednesday to a new online booking tool that is expected to be more user-friendly, makes all available appointments visible and provides notifications when clinics are fully booked or closed.

Another option is to go to pharmacies, which are expected to take on about 75 per cent of the load of administering Hamilton's COVID vaccines going forward.

In addition, there is the GO-VAXX bus and primary care clinics such as the one at Winterberry Family Medicine.

Bivalent boosters are recommended six months from the last dose, but can be given out after three months by request. Those infected should wait three months to get the shot.

Joanna Frketich is a health reporter at The Spectator. jfrketich@thespec.com