Five new COVID deaths and 86 new cases reported in Hamilton
Hamilton public health reported five new COVID-19 deaths and 86 new cases.
The new deaths include three people in their 80s and two in their 70s. At least three of the deaths were connected to hospital outbreaks - one each at Juravinski's F3 unit, Hamilton General's 8 West unit and St. Peter's 3W palliative-care unit.
Four new outbreaks - three at businesses and one in a long-term-care home - were declared in Hamilton on Thursday.
Outbreaks at Fortino's on Upper James and Swiss Chalet in Ancaster each have three staff cases. An outbreak at Denninger's Foods of the World on the Mountain has two cases.
These outbreaks include cases screened positive for a variant of concern.
The Meadowlands Retirement Residence in Ancaster is also in outbreak with one staff case, and is listed as having no variant of concern.
A March 31 outbreak at Ecole elementaire catholique Monseigneur-de-Laval, a French school on the Mountain, was added to public health's list of outbreaks on Friday.
Fourteen Hamilton schools - six public, six Catholic and two French schools - are currently in outbreak. About half of the outbreaks are linked to variants of concern.
There are 46 ongoing outbreaks in the city.
Five outbreaks were declared over on April 1. They include Hamilton General Hospital's short-stay medical unit, Rygiel Community Living, J&M Lodging Home, Checkered Flag Bar and Grill in Mount Hope and Flamborough Baptists Church in Waterdown.
In total, Hamilton has had more than 13,000 cases and 321 deaths. As of April 1, the city has 818 active cases - down slightly from the previous day's 857 - and a reproductive number of 1.2. The city's per cent positivity is 4.1 per cent.
Amid soaring cases, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on Wednesday a provincewide shutdown, which comes into effect Saturday at 12:01 a.m.
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