Hamilton schools report 13 cases of COVID-19 in two weeks
Hamilton post-secondary, elementary and high schools are reporting 13 new cases of COVID-19 in the last two weeks.
Two new cases of the virus were confirmed at Mohawk College on Jan. 27. The positive cases were found in two students connected with Mohawk College campuses" - one each at Stoney Creek and Fennell campuses, a statement reads.
The college says the students are in different programs, and that the infections have been linked to community contact, not through participation in required on-campus college programming."
Both students were last in class on Jan. 21.
The college says it has contacted everyone considered to have been in contact with these students," and has asked those students to self-isolate until Feb. 4.
Mohawk is reminding anyone visiting a campus to respond to the assessment questions honestly" on the Mohawk Safety app.
McMaster University is reporting a total of five cases of COVID-19 since Jan. 17.
A staff member tested positive for the virus on Jan. 24. The individual was last on campus on Jan. 20 at the at the David Braley Health Sciences Centre.
Impacted areas have since been thoroughly cleaned," a statement on the university's website reads.
Since August, the virus has been found in 26 people connected to the university, 12 of those in January.
On Jan. 21, the university reported two student cases. A student, who was last on campus on Jan. 19 in the Arthur Bourns Building, tested positive on Jan. 21. An international student who had already been quarantining in residence" after arriving in early January also tested positive the same day.
The university also reported positive cases of the virus, both in students, on Jan. 19 and Jan. 17.
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board reported two COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks - one in a staff member at Lake Avenue Elementary School in Hamilton's east end on Jan. 27 and one in a staff member at Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School on the west Mountain on Jan. 15.
In the Catholic board, there are four active cases of COVID-19 - three students and one staff member - as of Jan. 27.
The Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board confirmed three cases of the virus in two students and one staff member at Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School in Hannon on Jan. 23. A fourth case was confirmed in a student at St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School in Binbrook the same day.
Elementary and secondary schools in Hamilton are currently open to in-person learning for some students with special needs.
Kate McCullough is a Hamilton-based reporter covering education at The Spectator. Her work is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Reach her via email: kmccullough@thespec.com