Grace Villa COVID outbreak tops 100 cases
A COVID-19 outbreak at long-term care home Grace Villa has climbed to 111 cases since Christmas Day.
The east Mountain home was the site of Hamilton's worst COVID outbreak - 234 cases and 44 deaths from Nov. 25, 2020, to Jan. 20, 2021.
There have been no deaths reported in the current outbreak as of Wednesday, but 80 residents and 31 staff have now tested positive for COVID. It is the largest ongoing outbreak by far in Hamilton's high-risk settings. The next highest is 36 COVID cases at the Village of Wentworth Heights Long-Term Care on the central Mountain.
Overall, Hamilton had 34 ongoing respiratory outbreaks Wednesday compared to 15 on Dec. 21. Of those, 24 are COVID outbreaks. The other outbreaks include four of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), two of parainfluenza, two of norovirus, one of rhinovirus and one that is unspecified.
The majority are in seniors' homes, accounting for 22 of the outbreaks. There are also seven hospital outbreaks including three at St. Peter's Hospital, two at Hamilton General Hospital and two at St. Joseph's Healthcare - one at the West 5th Campus and one at the Charlton Campus.
Of the rest of the outbreaks, three are in group homes and two are in shelters.
The city's weekly status update reports the outbreaks are starting to level off. COVID outbreaks have held steady at 24 since Jan. 3 - up from 16 on Dec. 28. A similar trend can be seen for other respiratory outbreaks which have been sitting around eight or nine since Jan. 3 compared to six on Dec. 28.
Overall COVID spread has stabilized - it was increasing just before Christmas. Influenza transmission is moderate and decreasing.
COVID-19 transmission in Hamilton is high and stable," states the status update. COVID-19 reported cases, hospitalizations, test positivity, wastewater signal and the number of active outbreaks are currently stable."
However, intensive care unit admissions for COVID have increased over the last three weeks.
The city has also reported nine COVID deaths from Dec. 20 to Jan. 10 of seniors age 70 and older to bring pandemic fatalities to 659.
Overall, Hamilton's hospitals are under significant pressure with overcrowding and staff shortages.
On Wednesday, occupancy was at 119 per cent at Juravinski Hospital, 111 per cent at the Charlton Campus of St. Joseph's Healthcare, 107 per cent at Hamilton General Hospital and 103 per cent at McMaster Children's hospital.
Hospitals are full at 100 per cent occupancy and anything above that requires opening beds that aren't funded by the province and finding a way to staff them.
In a column published in The Spectator Saturday, McMaster president Bruce Squires and chief of pediatrics Dr. Angelo Mikrogianakis encouraged Hamiltonians to wear a mask in crowded indoor spaces, stay home when sick and stay up to date on vaccines.
Public health put out a similar message in its weekly update.
Vaccination remains an important way to protect against COVID-19 and influenza," stated the update. Hamilton Public Health Services strongly recommends wearing a well-fitting medical mask indoors, especially when it's crowded."
Two clinics for flu, COVID and cold are running in the city - one for kids at McMaster and another for all ages at the West 5th Campus. In addition, links to health-care services in Hamilton can be found at NeedADoc.ca.
Joanna Frketich is a health reporter at The Spectator. jfrketich@thespec.com