Three new outbreaks as province says no foreseeable lockdown for Hamilton
Hamilton public health reported 28 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and three new outbreaks.
The new outbreaks are at Red Hill Orthodontics, which has two cases in staff; Golden Auto Service in Hamilton's east end, which has four cases in staff; and Rygiel Supports for Community Living, a setting that helps people with disabilities located on the Mountain, which has one case in a staff member.
Two addresses are listed online for Red Hill Orthodontics - one in Stoney Creek and one on Upper James Street on the Mountain. It's not clear if the outbreak is affecting both locations or just one.
Wednesday's 28 new cases brings the city's total number of confirmed and probable cases since March to 2,797. Of those, 85 per cent, or 2,373 cases, are considered resolved. There are 338 active cases. The city reported no new deaths Wednesday after several days of new deaths stemming from outbreaks in long-term care homes. There have been 81 deaths in total. There are 22 people in hospital with COVID.
Meanwhile, at a provincial press briefing Wednesday, Ontario's chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams said no red zone regions are in immediate danger of being moved into lockdown. Hamilton, for now, is spared from tight restrictions the likes of which Toronto and Peel region are experiencing.
As for Hamilton's other ongoing outbreaks, the largest is at Chartwell Willowgrove long-term care home in Ancaster. There, 80 people, including 53 residents and 27 staff, have tested positive. Fifteen residents have died.
Hamilton Continuing Care, a long-term care home in central Hamilton, has the second largest outbreak, with 44 cases. Of those, 28 are in residents and 16 are in staff. Six residents have died.
On Tuesday, public health revealed it had issued an order to Hamilton Continuing Care to allow hospital staff to enter the home and investigate its outbreak response.
On Wednesday, Kelly Younger, general manager for Hamilton Continuing Care said in a statement the home has quickly" worked with St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton staff on improvements, including reviewing and streamlining IPAC practices, extensive education of our staff, and improved processes to prevent further spread of COVID-19."
We continue to work hard to not only emerge from this outbreak but to provide the highest quality of life possible for our residents while we do so," Younger said.
Katrina Clarke is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: katrinaclarke@thespec.com