Hamilton in the thick of influenza season

The city plans to close the vaccination clinic at CF Lime Ridge Mall despite putting out another call to arms for COVID and flu shots.

Uptake has dropped significantly with each COVID dose to the point that just one in five Hamiltonians has had a booster in the last six months.

Now is really the time for a call to arms around ensuring you are up to date with vaccinations for this fall season," Dr. Brendan Lew, resident physician at public health, said at a board of health meeting Monday.

A surge of viral illness, including flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID, has overwhelmed McMaster Children's Hospital and pediatric care across the province.

We are currently in the thick of influenza season and now is absolutely the right time to ensure you have gone to get your influenza vaccine," said Lew.

In addition, public health is recommending the bivalent COVID booster that targets both Omicron and the original COVID virus - especially if it has been six months or more since the last dose.

COVID vaccinations have plunged from 81 per cent of Hamiltonians having two doses to 53 per cent having three shots to 22 per cent boosted in the last six months.

We have seen lower uptake of booster doses," said Lew. I really want to emphasize the importance of ensuring you are up to date and receiving that bivalent booster dose."

However, the city plans to close its mall clinic Dec. 21 so it can shift resources to a second mobile clinic that will go to areas of the city with the lowest uptake starting in January.

In addition, the city is relying more on pharmacies, which have administered 52 per cent of COVID shots in Hamilton since April.

Mobile clinics are really one of our big avenues in terms of focusing on access and equity," said Lew. These clinics are placed to serve populations at higher risk of experiencing barriers to vaccination."

The parts of the city being prioritized for mobile clinics are forward sortation areas (FSA) that cover much of the central and east parts of the lower city including L8L, L8H, L8R, L8K and L8N. L8N also takes in a rural section of Freelton.

In addition, other FSAs being prioritized are L8W on the east Mountain and L8E and L8J in Stoney Creek.

Coun. Alex Wilson flagged that Flamborough was not among the areas being prioritized despite having lower vaccination rates and fewer pharmacies.

I'm very curious, when we look at rural Ward 13 or some of the other rural areas, why do we think uptake is lower," said Wilson.

Public health staff said the low vaccination rate in Flamborough is being monitored.

We do continue to have conversations around how best to address that," said Julie Prieto, director of epidemiology and wellness division.

The danger COVID still poses can be seen in the number of large ongoing outbreaks at seniors' homes. Idlewyld Manor on the west Mountain has had 49 test positive and three die since Nov. 4. Arbour Creek Long Term Care Centre in Stoney Creek had 64 infected in an outbreak from Oct. 20 to Nov. 26. At Meadowlands Retirement Community in Ancaster there have been 48 infections since Oct. 13.

In addition, four of the city's 12 ongoing outbreaks as of Tuesday are in Hamilton's already-strained hospitals. Five more hospital outbreaks were declared over on Nov. 27 and Nov. 28. A death was reported in an active outbreak at Juravinski Hospital, where four have tested positive on unit E3.

The city also reported six more COVID deaths from Nov. 22 to Nov. 29, including five seniors age 80 and older and one Hamiltonian in their 70s. It brings Hamilton's pandemic fatalities to 643.

Joanna Frketich is a health reporter at The Spectator. jfrketich@thespec.com