Hamilton reports seven new COVID deaths and three new outbreaks including No Frills, HWDSB office
Hamilton public health is reporting seven new COVID-19 deaths and three new outbreaks Saturday.
The new deaths bring Hamilton's total number of those who have died with the virus to 135.
Based on The Spectator's records, the new deaths appear to be five people over the age of 80 and two people between the ages of 70 and 79. But public health no longer releases details regarding the person's precise age, if the death was connected to an outbreak or if the person lived in a seniors' home or in the community.
The city also declared three new outbreaks.
Eight workers at Franco's No Frills on Queenston Road have tested positive for COVID-19. Three employees at the east Hamilton grocery store had previously tested positive on Monday.
Three staff members in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board office at 20 Education Crt. have tested positive for COVID-19.
Four staff members at the Ellen Fairclough Building at 119 King St. W. have also been infected. It's unclear what part of the building the outbreak is located. The downtown Hamilton office tower houses provincial government offices as well as a Service Ontario.
Public health recorded 134 new cases of the virus Saturday, with 4,787 total cases since the pandemic was declared last March.
Saturday also marked a record for the city, with 974 known active cases of COVID-19 in Hamilton - the highest the city has seen so far.
Across the city, there are ongoing outbreaks at 17 long-term care and seniors' homes in the city - and they continue to grow rapidly.
At Grace Villa - the city's largest ongoing outbreak - the total case count is nearing 200, with 127 residents and 67 staff having tested positive. As of Friday, at least 21 residents have died.
At Shalom Village, a care home in Westdale, 42 residents, 51 staff and one visitor have tested positive - for a total of 94 cases - since the outbreak was declared on Dec. 9.
There are also two hospital outbreaks, including one at the at Juravinski Hospital which continues to grow. Declared on Dec. 3 on the E3 unit, the outbreak has spread through five units and now up to 81 infections including 38 patients, 41 staff and two visitors. At least three people have died.
Outbreaks at Macassa Lodge and Lawfield Elementary School are both over.
In the city's hospitals, there are 15 COVID-19 patients at St. Joseph's and 39 at Hamilton Health Sciences. Nearly 330 people have been hospitalized in total. The city's infection rate is 127 per 100,000 population - more than triple the rate that led to being moved into the red zone.
Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com