Hamilton reports 414 new COVID-19 cases on the eve of new provincial restrictions

Hamilton reported 414 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday (Jan. 4), bringing the total number of active cases to 6,649.

Hamilton Health Sciences

146 people are being treated at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) hospitals or COVID-19. There are 23 individuals being treated in HHS intensive care units (ICU).

Hamilton General Hospital is at 99 per cent occupancy. Juravinski Hospital is at 111 per cent.

HHS is reporting that 494 staff are self-isolating.

97. 9 per cent of HHS employees are fully vaccinated and 13 individuals have had their employment terminated for not following vaccination guidelines.

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton is reporting that 74 people are being treated for COVID-19 at its hospital. 10 individuals are in the ICU.

St. Joe’s hospital occupancy was at 89 per cent. ICU occupancy was 85 per cent.

143 St. Joe’s employees are self-isolating.

97.9 per cent of the staff at St. Joe’s is fully vaccinated while three individuals are currently on unpaid leave for violating vaccination guidelines.

City of Hamilton vaccination numbers

79.6 per cent of eligible Hamiltonians are fully vaccinated as of Tuesday with 84.7 per cent receiving at least one dose. 38 per cent of children between the ages of four and 12 are fully vaccinated. The vaccination percentage of the other age groups ranges between 84 and 99 per cent.

Unvaccinated Hamilton residents are being infected at twice the rate as the vaccinated, according to City data collected from Aug. 18, 2021, to now. The unvaccinated have also been 12.6 times more likely to be hospitalized and 22 times more likely to be admitted to the ICU. The risk of death among the unvaccinated is 7.3 times higher than it is for the fully vaccinated in Hamilton.

Provincial COVID-19 numbers

Ontario is reporting 1,290 people in hospital with COVID-19 today, and 266 in intensive care.

The province is also reporting 11,352 new cases Tuesday, although it notes the numbers underestimate the true case count due to limits Ontario has placed on testing.

The province recorded 10 new deaths from the virus.

Intensive care admissions have been rising in the province, with 248 people in ICU due to COVID-19 a day earlier.

Ontario announced a series of new measures, including the pausing of non-urgent surgeries, in an effort to slow the fifth wave driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant.

The latest restrictions also include a return to online schooling for at least two weeks and widespread business closures.

—with files from The Canadian Press