Rebecca Towers outbreak declared over as Hamilton reports 77 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths

The COVID-19 outbreak at Rebecca Towers that led to 110 cases has been declared over.

The high-rise was the site of the first apartment building outbreak in the city, infecting 107 residents and three staff members. One person died.

Hamilton Public Health Service's website shows it was declared over as of Thursday.

"Obviously the tenants, everyone in Rebecca Towers, are feeling relieved," said Arefin Chowdhury, a member of the building's tenant committee.

"Lots of services are suspended in our building because of that outbreak and people who were scared … and staying home, they're going to feel relieved and hopefully moving around now in a safe manner."

Canada Post stopped regular mail delivery for residents during the outbreak, sparking concerns about access to government supports and bills.

But while the outbreak is over, Chowdhury, who was one of the people in the building who contracted COVID-19, was quick to point out that the virus hasn't disappeared.

Residents have repeatedly made demands of their landlord, Medallion, including that both elevators in the 17-storey building be running and that more cleaners be hired to work in the high-rise.

Chowdhury said the tenant committee is going to keep pushing for those changes, along with other issues in building, in order to keep the people living there safe.

"The outbreak is over, but the problems are not over," he said.

Eighty-six Rebecca Towers residents received COVID-19 vaccinations during special sessions set up by public health, including 28 who got shots at home.

The group called for health officials to provide an on-site vaccination clinic throughout the outbreak, saying some residents were afraid leaving their apartments would expose them to the virus.

Chowdhury said that call will continue, with the committee delivering brochures this week to find out which homebound tenants still need shots.

"We hope it's not going to happen again and we're going to make sure we stay safe within our community," he added.

After weathering the outbreak, residents of Rebecca Towers are closer and more organized, Chowdhury said. The crisis brought them together in one voice that won't stop calling for change from Medallion and services from public health.

"We are now more united because of what happened. We are staying together so they don't ignore [us]," he said.

"We can now stand together and if there's something that needs to be done we can do it together."

Two other building in Hamilton have seen outbreaks.

The outbreak at Wellington Place also ended Thursday after infecting 45 people.

The outbreak at the Village Apartments, however, is ongoing and hit 74 cases so far.

2 more deaths reported in Hamilton

Seventy-seven new cases of the virus were reported in Hamilton on Friday, along with two more deaths.

The city has now recorded 383 deaths and 20,365 cases over the course of the pandemic. Of those, 637 are active, while nearly 93 per cent are resolved.

Hamilton's seven-day average for new cases is at 71 and its reproduction number —which represents the number of people a single infected person passes the virus to — is 0.68.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced at a press conference Friday that people aged 80 and older will be able to book a second shot starting the week of May 31.

Ford said the province is ramping up second-shot availability because vaccination targets are being hit ahead of schedule.

Hamilton residents who are 80+ can book a second shot through the province's online vaccine portal or by calling 1-888-999-6488 starting May 31.

The city is reminding people to double-check their first-dose receipt to make sure their second shot is the same type.

More information can be found here.

Brant 

Brantford and Brant County have logged 15 new cases within the past 24 hours.

The area has seen 3,221 confirmed cases, including 90 that are active as of Friday and 3,111 that are resolved.

Seven people with the virus are currently in hospital. Twenty have died.

Haldimand and Norfolk

Only one new case of COVID-19 was reported in the counties of Haldimand and Norfolk in the last 24 hours. 

They've recorded a total of 2,635 cases and the current number of active cases has dropped to 48.

Niagara

Health authorities in Niagara Region reported 22 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday. That brings the total number of active cases to 797.

The region has recorded 15,680 cases and 450 fatalities since the beginning of the pandemic.

As of Friday, 274,200 people in Niagara have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine — which works out to more than 50 per cent of the population.

Halton

Halton has recorded 49 new cases, putting the number of active cases in the area at 334.

The region's case count since early last year stands at 17,462, and 224 people have lost their lives. 

In Burlington, 10 new cases were reported on Friday. That brings the total number of active cases there to 125.

To date, 316,049 vaccine doses have been administered in Halton Region — and 64 per cent of residents have received at least one jab.

Six Nations

There are no active cases of COVID-19 at Six Nations of the Grand River.

The reserve has logged 526 positive cases, with 515 that are resolved.

Twenty-five people are currently in self-isolation. Eleven people have died.