Hamilton will enter full lockdown if COVID-19 cases keep rising: medical officer of health

Hamilton's medical officer of health says if the city continues to see the number of new COVID-19 cases rise, it will "without a doubt" enter a full lockdown.

The move to a lockdown would be based on what's being observed instead of meeting a specific number, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson says.

There haven't been many details about what conversations are being had between the province, Hamilton public health and the mayor.

But the stark message from Richardson comes after a weekend that saw the highest rates of infection the city has seen during the pandemic.

The city saw 71 and 87 new cases on Thursday and Friday, and on Saturday suffered a massive jump of 95 new cases. There were 61 new cases Sunday and 47 new COVID-19 cases on Monday.

Richardson said she was concerned about how high recent daily numbers have been, the increase in COVID-19 per cent positivity, the number of people not following guidelines, those who don't wear masks and "the number of people still going about their daily lives like nothing is going on."

But she said she's also worried for front-line healthcare workers "and the challenges they not only face right now in keeping up with the issues before them but what they're going to face over the coming weeks and through the holidays."

"To be very honest with all of you, I'm most concerned that no matter how many times we continue to emphasize the importance of these key public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — the message is being followed definitely by many — but it's not getting through or moving enough people to action and, by extension, it's having an impact on those around them and on our community," Richardson said.

The city's weekly rate of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people has jumped to 74.8. The average number of cases per day is 58. The per cent positivity among tests is 3.7.

"That three per cent threshold is often viewed as a point at which case and contact management alone is not going to be able to bring those numbers back down," she said.

Contact tracing isn't being abandoned yet, Richardson said, thanks to help from the province, but added the virus has momentum and that "we're very much pushed when it comes to case and contact management."

4 more deaths over the weekend

Four more people who had COVID-19 died over the weekend, bringing the total to 86 deaths.

Jacqueline Durlov, a city spokesperson, said a woman in her early 80s from Grace Villa died on Saturday.

A man in his early 80s at Hamilton Continuing Care, a man in his early 60s who wasn't living in a long-term care home, and a woman in her mid 70s who wasn't in a long-term care home all died on Friday.

While the senior population has been the most affected by COVID-19, Richardson said it's affecting others too.

"We've had people who are in their 20s in the ICU within the last few weeks, we have certainly seen people who are middle-aged pass away with this virus."

Hamilton Public Health Services reported there have been 3,158 people in the city infected with the virus since March.

Of those, 511 people have it right now. On Sunday, the number of active cases was 503, a new record.

There are eight COVID-19 patients at St. Joseph's hospital right now, and 13 at Hamilton Health Sciences. 

There are 2,551 resolved cases and one new outbreak at the Hatts Off Girls' Country Home, where a staff member has tested positive.

The largest active outbreak is at Chartwell Willowgrove Long Term Care Home where 56 residents, 28 staff and two visitors have been infected. The second largest outbreak is at Hamilton Continuing Care where 28 residents, 17 staff and one visitor have been diagnosed with the virus. 

The outbreak at Rainbow Cleaning is over.

Brant

Brant County Heath Unit say there are still two patients and a staff member in a surgical in-patient unit at Brantford General Hospital after declaring an outbreak there Thursday.

"One [Brant Community Healthcare System] health care worker and one patient tested positive for COVID-19 after presumed transmission from a community-acquired case. The staff member is in isolation at home," read a statement.

Seven new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Brant in the past 24 hours, according to the county's website.

Brant and Brantford have tallied 505 confirmed cases, including 428 that are recovered and 72 that are active.

Five people have died.

Haldimand-Norfolk

Haldimand and Norfolk counties have entered the "orange-restrict" zone of Ontario's new COVID-19 response framework.

The local public health unit says it was partly due to a rise in positive COVID-19 cases, clusters and outbreaks. 

"We really don't want to see our local businesses — already struggling due to COVID-19 — forced to close as part of a provincially imposed lockdown," said Kristal Chopp, Norfolk mayor and board of health chair, in a media release Friday.

"But given the province's framework, that will be the unfortunate reality if we aren't able to keep case numbers under control in our region. That's why it's so important that, as we approach the holiday season, we continue following the public health guidance aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 in our community."

The orange zone could include a number of new measures that restrict hours, seating and capacity at bars, restaurants, movie theatres, meeting places and events.

Gathering limits will stay capped at 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.

Haldimand-Norfolk have reported 658 positive cases throughout the pandemic. 

Of those, 48 are active and 573 are resolved.

Thirty-two deaths in the counties are considered COVID-related.

Brant County and the Niagara region are also orange zones. Hamilton and Halton are in the red zone, which is more restrictive and only one step away from lockdown.

Halton

The number of cases in Halton rose by 47 for a total of 3,677 (both confirmed and probable).

Data from health officials shows 2,860 have recovered and 752 were active.

Sixty-five people who had COVID-19 have died.

Niagara

The Niagara region is still dealing with a school outbreak at St. Martin Catholic Elementary School that has infected 10 people. One case has been resolved as of Thursday morning.

"These individuals became ill during their self-isolation, and there is no further risk the school community," read a statement from Niagara Catholic District School Board.

Niagara has seen a total of 2,142 cases since the pandemic began.

Of those, 204 were active and 1,854 resolved.

Eighty-four people with the virus have died and 18 outbreaks are ongoing.

Six Nations

One person in Six Nations of the Grand River has COVID-19. 

There have been 98 cases and one death.