76 new cases of COVID-19, web page to support child and youth mental health launches

Hamilton Public Health Services (HPHS) and Lynwood Charlton Centre have created a resource web page to help those looking for mental health support for children and youth during COVID-19.

This comes as the city today reports 76 new cases of COVID-19 and three more deaths linked to the virus.

In a news release HPHS said the web page includes information about:

• recognizing the signs of a mental health concern.
• mental health services.
• substance use services and resources.
• supporting child and youth mental health during COVID-19, including a youth-focused section with ways that youth can help to support their own mental health.

Since early 2020, COVID-19 has impacted the mental health of many children, youth and families, officials said in the release.

"The impact of COVID-19 on the mental and emotional well-being of families, especially children and youth, is real and concerning," said Louise Murray-Leung, family engagement lead, Lynwood Charlton Centre and volunteer chapter leader, PCMH Hamilton.

"The best thing families can do is to reach out with any questions or concerns they have. This can lead to helpful, timely support for their child or youth, which benefits everyone in the family. 

"The City of Hamilton's new child and youth mental health web page is a welcome added resource providing useful tips for youth, families and caregivers and clear information about where to find help for their mental health concerns." Murray-Leung added.

Families are encouraged to ask for support and use the web page to find mental health services in Hamilton.

Meanwhile, Jen Vickers Manzin, director Healthy Families Division, City of Hamilton Public Health Services, Healthy and Safe Communities Department said: "The mental health needs of children, youth and families continue to increase through this pandemic. It is normal to experience increased stress and anxiety during times of crisis."

750 active cases of COVID-19 in Hamilton

There are currently 750 active cases of COVID-19 in Hamilton. 

The number of deaths recorded over the course of the pandemic now stands at 230.

Since the start of the pandemic, 8,432 people in Hamilton have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. Of these, 7,250 have recovered.

The city's weekly rate of new cases per 100,000 people continues to fall and is at 103 as of Thursday.

Brant

The county of Brant has 71 active cases according to data online. There were nine new cases in the last 24 hours.

There have been 1,280 cases since March and six deaths. There are six people hospitalized with COVID-19.

Brant County Public Health reports 2,552 vaccines have been administered.

On Thursday the Brant County Health Unit (BCHU) said it has completed mobile vaccination clinics at all long-term care and retirement homes in Brant. 

COVID-19 vaccine was received on Jan. 12 and Jan. 15 and teams were immediately launched to vaccinate those most vulnerable to COVID-19-related illness, BCHU said.

"At the direction of the province, these first doses of vaccine were administered to residents, staff and essential caregivers at long-term care and retirement homes," the news release states. 

"As part of the first group sequenced to receive vaccines, all residents in these facilities have received their initial COVID-19 vaccine. The majority of staff in these homes and some essential caregivers have also received their vaccination."

Haldimand-Norfolk

Haldimand and Norfolk Counties did not update their numbers on Thursday as they move data to a new system.

On Wednesday they reported 26 new cases of COVID-19. 

Halton

The number of COVID-19 cases in Halton rose by 68, for a total of 7,761 so far.

Data indicates 452 of those cases are active.

Seventeen of the new cases were in Burlington, which has seen 2,042 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. There are 132 active cases in the city.

A total of 148 people across the region have died after being infected with the virus, 33 of them in Burlington.

Niagara

Niagara reported 113 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. The region has seen 6,995 cases over the course of the pandemic, including 1,585 that are active.

A total of 244 people have died as a result of COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, 5,166 cases are now marked as resolved.

Six Nations

Six Nations of the Grand River has 10 active COVID-19 cases according to Ohsweken Public Health.

There were three new cases reported on Thursday. There have been 135 cases reported over the course of the pandemic and one death.

Ontario reports 2,632 new cases of COVID-19

Ontario reported another 2,632 cases of COVID-19 and 46 more deaths of people with the illness on Thursday.

The cases come as Ontario's network of labs processed 70,256 test samples for the virus, notably more than on each of the last four days. The labs reported a test positivity rate of 4.3 per cent.

The seven-day average of daily cases — which helps clarify long-term trends in the data — fell to 2,751, marking 10 straight days of decreases in that figure.