More people test positive for COVID-19 at St. Joe's, library, grocery stores

A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at the Charlton campus of St Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton after two people tested positive for the virus.

The outbreak is on CTU-West, which the hospital describes as a general internal medicine unit. It's currently closed to admissions.

Both people who contracted the virus are isolating and following guidance from public health, according to St. Joe's.

Health officials are carrying out contact tracing, and the hospital said staff and patients on the unit are being regularly tested for COVID-19 and screened for symptoms.

"Patients and staff on the unit are being tested for COVID-19 and regularly screened for symptoms," said St. Joe's in a media release. "A thorough deep cleaning of the unit is also taking place."

Cases of COVID-19 have also surfaced at area libraries, grocery stores and a pharmacy.

Hamilton Public Library (HPL) shared a notice on its website Monday saying an employee had tested positive.

HPL said the staff member last worked at the Carlisle branch on March 30.

The library also shared that a family member of an employee at the central branch has tested positive. That worker was last on site on April 1 and had not tested positive as of Monday afternoon.

"Both employees were wearing appropriate personal protective equipment and maintained physical distancing," HPL said. "Both branches have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected multiple times each day."

Anyone who visited the Carlisle branch on March 30 or the central branch on April 1 is asked to monitor themselves for symptoms.

A database sharing COVID-19 cases at Loblaw locations shows four cases of the virus have appeared in the city since Sunday.

Three of the cases were shared Tuesday and one on Monday.

The cases shared on April 6 include an employee at the Fortinos on Upper Centennial Parkway in Stoney Creek who tested positive and last worked on March 28. A worker at the Fortinos on Mall Road in Hamilton also has the virus and last worked on March 30, according to the company.

The third case from April 6 was at the Shopper Drug Mart on Mohawk Road West in Hamilton. A staff member who last worked on March 28 tested positive, said Loblaw.

The April 5 case was an employee at the Fortinos on Dundurn in Hamilton whose most-recent day at work was March 31.