COVID-19: Hamilton assessment centres overwhelmed as demand surges

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Published September 23, 2020 at 8:51 pm

As of Wednesday (Sept. 23), there have been 1,094 cases of COVID-19 in Hamilton since the city started tracking in March.

As of Wednesday (Sept. 23), there have been 1,094 cases of COVID-19 in Hamilton since the city started tracking in March.

There are five new cases since local data was updated Tuesday afternoon.

Hamilton’s COVID-19-related death toll rose to 46 this week after it was reported that an 83-year old woman died in hospital on Sunday.

975 cases have been resolved, representing about 89 per cent local cases.

The data shows that there are believed to be 73 active cases in the community at the moment.

Of the cases confirmed in the last 10 days, 33 per cent come from the 20 to 29 age group.

On Wednesday, Hamilton’s Public Health Services (PHS) issued a press release urging residents to make appointments for COVID-19 testing as demand surges.

In the release, PHS said that they were fielding upwards of 3,000 calls a day, which is up from 1,000 a week earlier.

Residents can book an appointment by calling PHS directly at the COVID hotline at 905-974-9848.

As of Wednesday, 70,449 COVID-19 tests have completed at local assessment centres.

Ontario reported 335 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, along with three new deaths related to the virus.

The province also reported 42 new COVID-19 cases related to schools, including at least 21 among students. Those bring the number of schools with a reported case to 153 out of Ontario’s 4,828 publicly-funded schools.

The total number of cases in Ontario now stands at 48,087, which includes 2,835 deaths and 41,600 cases classified as resolved.

— with a file from The Canadian Press

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