Hamilton reports more than 700 new COVID-19 cases as hospitalizations continue to climb

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Published January 12, 2022 at 12:45 pm

Hamilton reported 726 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (Jan. 12) as the number of active infections and outbreaks continues to soar in the community.

The number of active cases in the community has risen to 9,867 and there are currently 92 active outbreaks.

Hamilton Health Sciences

Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) reports that 186 people are being treated at its hospitals for COVID-19, up from 171 the day prior. There are 20 individuals being treated in HHS intensive care units (ICU) compared to 16 reported on Tuesday.

Hamilton General Hospital is at 102 per cent occupancy — up from 100 per cent on Tuesday. Juravinski Hospital is at 115 per cent occupancy, up from 112 per cent the day previous.

HHS is reporting that 501 staff are self-isolating, compared to 444 on Tuesday.

Ninety-eight per cent of HHS employees are fully vaccinated and 14 individuals have had their employment terminated for not following vaccination guidelines.

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton is reporting that 87 people are being treated for COVID-19, up from 77 the day previous at its hospital. Fifteen people are in ICU, up from the 12 reported the day before.

St. Joe’s hospital occupancy remains at 89 per cent and ICU occupancy is 89 per cent.

There are currently 265 St. Joe’s employees self-isolating, up from 245 the day prior.

Data shows that 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

As of Wednesday, 80.3 per cent of eligible Hamiltonians are fully vaccinated, with 85.5 per cent receiving at least one dose. Thirty-nine 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 1.7 times the rate as the vaccinated, according to City data collected from Aug. 18, 2021, to now. The unvaccinated have also been 8.6 times more likely to be hospitalized and 12.3 times more likely to be admitted to the ICU. The risk of death among the unvaccinated is 6.6 times higher than it is for the fully vaccinated in Hamilton.

Provincial COVID-19 numbers

There were 3,448 people in hospitals across Ontario with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, including 505 people in intensive care, up from 3,220 patients in hospital the previous day and 477 people in intensive care.

There were 46 new deaths reported due to the virus, and 9,783 new COVID-19 cases, though Public Health Ontario has noted that the total number is likely higher due to testing policy changes.

— with a file from The Canadian Press

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