Number of Hamilton COVID-19 tests have skyrocketed in June
June has been by far the most aggressive month for COVID-19 testing in Hamilton to date, a Spectator data analysis has found.
More people have been tested at Hamilton public health's three assessment centres in the past two weeks than in March and April combined.
The city's health unit completed 5,841 tests at assessment centres from June 9 to June 22, about 45 per cent of the cumulative number of tests public health completed in the 13 weeks prior.
As of June 1, the total number of tests completed at the three assessment centres was 9,815. By Monday, that number had nearly doubled to 18,820.
There have also been an additional 12,705 tests completed at other facilities independent of assessment centres, such as long-term care homes, retirement homes and other congregate settings, as of April 13.
Hamilton's first two testing sites - one at King Street East, another at Main Street West - opened March 16. The third, a drive-thru centre on the Mountain, opened April 17.
The 9,005 tests completed at assessment centres since the outset of June is nearly tenfold the amount completed in March (981), and more than double that of April and May (4,213 and 3,807, respectively).
The uptick in the city's testing rate comes just as municipal economies reopen and restrictions around getting tested for COVID-19 loosen significantly.
Take it from the Ministry of Health: Anybody can get a test if they want one."
The correlation between those variables - of lockdown measures softening and tests spiking - is of no surprise to Dr. Ninh Tran, Hamilton's associate medical officer of health.
As things are reopening, people are more interested in tests ... If you're worried at all about being exposed to COVID, go get tested," said Tran, alluding to the province's change of stance on criteria for testing. That was the reason for an initial spike in tests."
Indeed, the number of people visiting assessment centres in Hamilton has nearly tripled in the span of just two months.
There have been 9,032 people who have sought testing at a city assessment centre in June. That's up from 5,022 in May, 3,941 in April, and 1,437 in March.
Asked if visits have been driven by the recent increase in cases among certain demographics, like twentysomethings and children, Tran said not quite.
The driving reason for increases (in testing and visits) is the testing strategy in long-term care and retirement homes, and the idea of regularly testing staff and visitors, has changed," Tran said.
Staff at long-term care facilities or retirement homes have been required for some time to be tested every two weeks.
(But) some long-term care facilities aren't able to do it themselves, so they're sending staff to assessment centres," Tran said, adding that has contributed to the spike in public health's visit and test counts.
Meanwhile, family and friends of long-term care or retirement home patients were allowed to visit their loved ones as of June 18. But that is on the condition that they test negative for COVID-19 within the previous two weeks of each visit.
Tran said the rise in tests and visits in Hamilton is encouraging. It helps public health get a better sense of the extent of the outbreak locally. That said, droves of people funneling through assessment centres - and whenever they please - could spark health risks.
We won't deny anyone a test, but we're still asking people to book an appointment so we can ensure - from a health and safety perspective - that we don't have people waiting in line and not physical distancing," he said.
It would also allow us to prioritize (patients) ... If you were named as a close contact of someone with symptoms, we wanted you tested sooner than someone who wants to get tested just for reassurance."
Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com