COVID-19 transmission in Hamilton keeps increasing, but not as rapidly
Published July 27, 2022 at 1:55 pm
COVID-19 activity in Hamilton it is continuing to increase, if not as rapidly as it did earlier in July.
The local public health unit has confirmed that the city is experiencing the seventh wave in the ongoing, more than two-year-old global pandemic. The tracking updated today (July 27) shows relatively modest increases in leading indicators such as new cases, positivity and active outbreaks.
Hamilton Public Health (HPH) is recommending the residents stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccinations. Fourth doses have been approved for all adults, and the Ontario government said last week it will be ready tomorrow (July 28) to begin giving Health Canada-approved pediatric doses to babies and small children between six months and five years old.
The public health unit also strongly recommends wearing a well-fitting mask indoors, especially when it is crowded, while also limiting social contacts.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases was 98 as of Sunday, the last day for which data is available. However, that a 4.26-per-cent increase from the rolling average one week earlier. There was a 44.6-per-cent increase from July 10 to 17.
The positivity rate, as of July 21, was 17.8 per cent. That is just a smidge higher than the 17.4 that was recorded on July 14.
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The city recorded 33 active outbreaks on Tuesday, two more than one week earlier.
New wastewater samples with COVID-19 detected have not been made available to HPH since July 17. But those have been trending up, which is the wrong direction in terms of containing spread.
Vaccination, including third and fourth doses, increases an individual’s personal fortification from experiencing more severe health outcomes if they are infected with COVID-19.
Both lagging indicators — hospital admissions of patients with COVID-19 and intensive care unit admissions — are static in Hamilton. The city is averaging 1.9 new hospital admissions per day over the previous week, which is the same as las week. There have been no new ICU patients who have COVID-19.
A full list of clinics run by Hamilton Public Health is available at hamilton.ca.
The city dashboard, though, does not reflect the emotional and physical toll taken on healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses. Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton have a combined 675 job vacancies, due to a large number of physicians and staff who are isolating after either infection or possible exposure.
Nearly 43,000 Canadians have died with COVID-19 over the past two years. The seven-day rolling average for deaths was 46.43 on Tuesday, almost 2½ times higher than the average of 19.0 exactly one month earlier on July 26. (All figures in that paragraph are via Our World In Data.)
The Ontario government, with cities following suit, removed most COVID-19 protections in March.
(Graphic via City of Hamilton.)
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