Younger people more likely to get COVID in Hamilton

Hamilton's active COVID-19 cases are highest among those with the lowest vaccination rates.

Close to 40 per cent of Hamilton's 121 active COVID cases are among those age 10 to 29. It's the only age group with fewer than 60 per cent of those eligible having a first shot.

In stark contrast, three per cent of active cases are among those age 70 and over. Vaccination rates are about 90 per cent for this age.

Ontario's former chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, said vaccines are proving to be highly effective" even against the fast-spreading Delta variant to the point that he considers the majority of COVID hospitalizations and deaths now to be preventable.

As vaccination increases, the community becomes safer," he said at his final briefing Thursday.

But that safety is not equitable across the city, as areas with the lowest income also have the lowest vaccination rates.

The troubling divide persists even as a clinic in the midst of the hardest hit areas - FirstOntario Centre downtown - gave out a record 2,550 doses a day on June 25 and 26.

In the face of flattening rates, Hamilton's medical officer of health stressed the importance of getting two doses. At the same time, she refused to provide context around the death of a fully vaccinated person with COVID in Hamilton including an age or whether they had any underlying health conditions.

No vaccine is perfect," said Dr. Elizabeth Richardson.

There are going to be some instances where somebody who has had even both doses of the vaccine does go on to get COVID-19," she said while calling the death very unfortunate."

There have been 32 such deaths in Ontario and Richardson said the cases are reviewed.

These are very, very rare events that happen," she said. Oftentimes it's related to some other illness."

She stressed the overall effectiveness of the vaccines. A look at the breakdown of active cases appears to back that up:

• 46 active cases among ages 10 to 29 with first doses given to 55 to 59 per cent of those eligible. Note only those age 12 and over can get a vaccine;

• 34 active cases among age 30 to 49 with first doses given to 61 to 72 per cent;

• 27 active cases among age 50 to 69 with first doses given to 78 to 84 per cent;

• Four cases among age 70 and older with first doses given to 88 to 90 per cent.

The other 10 active cases are age nine and under who can't yet get a first shot.

Hospitalizations have also been dropping as case counts decrease and vaccination increases. Hamilton's hospitals were caring for 31 COVID patients Monday compared to 161 at the end of April. Of those, 19 were in the intensive care unit.

We've seen major success with the vaccinations in preventing severe consequences, hospitalizations and deaths," said Williams.

The city reported 12 new COVID cases Monday and only one ongoing outbreak.

A key metric is the average number of new daily cases at 14 as of June 26, and the rate per 100,000 population at 16. Both are at their lowest since Oct. 6.

Hamilton has the sixth-highest COVID rate in Ontario, although it has gone down drastically, according to analysis done by Ahmed Al-Jaishi, an epidemiologist with Ontario research institute ICES Western.

The rate for the last seven days was 178 per million population Monday, compared to 649 on June 7.

Hamilton's rate is much lower than the public health units above it, which range from 241 to 911. In addition, the rate is dropping, while seven public health units are increasing.

However, there is growing concern about the one in four adults who have not yet had one dose. In Hamilton, 73 per cent have had one shot while 32 per cent have had two.

What we've seen across the board in all of our age groups is that the first 40 to 50 per cent of people get vaccinated very quickly and then there is a slower rise that slows down a little bit over time as we go forward," said Richardson. We'll continue to ... look at what are the reasons why people may not be getting vaccinated."

The most glaring trend is significant divides in vaccination rates by forward sortation area (FSA), which is the first half of a postal code.

There appears to be no change since April when Spectator reporter Sebastian Bron revealed residents in the most economically disadvantaged areas were vaccinated at far lower rates.

The lowest is in L8L, where just below 50 per cent of all ages have had one shot - it has the fourth lowest median income.

The highest rate at almost 70 per cent is in L9H, which has the fourth highest median income.

Six of the nine FSAs with vaccination rates lower than the city average of 60 per cent are among the 10 lowest incomes.

L8L, L8H, L8R, L8M, L8N and L8K cover much of the lower city, stretching from Highway 403 to Nash Road. In the west, it goes from King Street West to the waterfront and in central and east Hamilton, it stretches all the way to the escarpment.

The reason for those reduced rates is rooted in the social determinants of health," said Richardson. These are long-standing inequities."

The higher-income FSAs with lower than average vaccination rates are L8E and L8J in Stoney Creek and L8W on east Mountain.

Joanna Frketich is a Hamilton-based reporter covering health for The Spectator. Reach her via email: jfrketich@thespec.com