People with COVID-19 aren't giving 'all the information', says medical officer of health

People with COVID-19 in Hamilton aren't giving 'all the information' that public health needs to do its job, according to the city's medical officer of health. 

Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, the city's medical officer of health, said the interviews with people who have contracted the virus help public health find out when someone was infected and if there are places where it's being transmitted. 

"It might be that they don't understand the importance of it, that it really is essential for us in terms of working on control," Richardson said on why people might withhold some details. 

Richardson said people might be feeling embarrassed, don't want to admit that they have been socializing, or might feel that it is stigmatising. She also said some people don't believe they could have passed the virus on. 

Richardson acknowledged that while quarantine requirements can feel "very inconvenient" and "onerous," it's these "smaller costs...that play a major role in reducing transmission for all of us, hopefully getting us back down out of the red zone over the next month." It also helps prevent a lock down, she said. 

Active cases of COVID-19 in Hamilton rose to 637 on Monday. There are 92 new cases of COVID-19 in the city as compared to the day before. 

There are now 101 people who have died after contracting the virus, and 2,908 cases have been resolved. 

Two women from Grace Villa, one in her 90s and the other in her 70s, have died, says Dr. Richardson. She said a man in his late 80s has also died. 

The latest weekly rate of new cases reported per 100,000 population is 82.6.

Winter activities in Hamilton

Though the city wants people to avoid unnecessary trips outside their home and to limit close contact just to their household, it is launching a winter in Hamilton program to make sure people get outdoors during the pandemic. 

There will be outdoor skating with capacity limits and masks strongly encouraged. Tobogganing and walking the trails also make the list.

Municipal golf courses will be open dawn to dusk, including winter golf at Chedoke Golf Course and a new 2.7-kilometre path at King's Forest Golf Course. 

"We know that physical activity is one of the things that's really important in underscoring our mental health," said Richardson.

The city says there are 23 ongoing outbreaks.

A third was declared at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre. Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) says there are 18 positive COVID-19 cases linked with the outbreaks. 

Haldimand-Norfolk

There have been 682 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Haldimand and Norfolk as of Sunday, including 26 that are active and 619 that are recovered.

Thirty-two deaths are related to COVID-19.

Niagara

The region has recorded 2,317 cases over the course of the pandemic, which is 20 more than on Sunday. 

Of those, 242 are active and 1,988 are resolved.

The number of people infected with COVID-19 who have died in Niagara stands at 87.

There are 14 outbreaks ongoing.

Brant

There have been four new cases reported in Brant and Brantford over the past 24 hours.

The area has reported 557 confirmed cases and five deaths throughout the pandemic.

Fifty-nine cases were active on Monday, while 493 are resolved.

Five people with the virus are in hospital.

Halton

The number of COVID-19 cases in Halton rose by 58 on Monday to 4,099.

Statistics on the region's website show 373 of those are active, while 3,654 are resolved.

Nineteen of the new cases are in Burlington, which has 118 active cases.

Seventy-two people in Halton have died after being infected with the virus.