Hamilton sets another new COVID-19 case-count record for second day in a row

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Published December 24, 2021 at 12:01 pm

Ontario and Hamilton are reporting yet another record-high number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday (Dec. 24).

According to Hamilton Public Health Services (HPHS) data shared to the City’s website, there are 494 new infections on Friday and no new deaths associated with the virus.

This is officially the highest single-day increase in cases in Hamilton since the start of the pandemic. The previous record was set one day earlier when on Thursday Hamilton reported 268 new cases.

The number of active cases in the community has skyrocketed to 1,379 and the number of active outbreaks is up to 37, though HPHS said on Thursday that due to staffing shortages, it will no longer declare new outbreaks associated with workplaces or community settings.

Hamilton’s seven-day average for new cases is up to 200 as of Friday and the current reproductive rate is 1.83.

Local hospitals are currently treating 52 people for COVID-19-related illness of which fewer than 10 are in ICUs.

Meanwhile, Ontario set a new record high in COVID-19 cases for a second day in a row Friday, reporting 9,571 new infections.

The new peak represents a 65 per cent increase over the record 5,790 cases counted Thursday. Before that, the highest number of new daily cases was 4,812, recorded in April.

The seven-day average number of new cases sat at 4,923 Friday, two-and-a-half times higher than the average 1,914 a week earlier.

Provincial data shows 508 people hospitalized with the virus as of Friday, 150 more than were in hospital a week earlier.

The number of people in intensive care, meanwhile, remains relatively steady. There were 154 people testing positive for the virus in ICU on Friday, compared to 139 a week earlier.

As of Friday, 355 of the people hospitalized due to COVID-19 were not fully vaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status, as were 88 of those in ICU.

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