Fast-spreading P.1 COVID-19 variant confirmed for first time in Hamilton
Published April 15, 2021 at 8:33 am
Hamilton has reported its first cases of the fast-spreading COVID-19 variant that is believed to have originated in Brazil.
In the latest Public Health Services data update posted to the city’s website on Wednesday (April 14), at least two cases of COVID-19 in Hamilton have been confirmed to stem from the P.1 variant.
This particular variant is concerning in that public health authorities across the globe say it is more infectious and deadly than other forms of the virus and is known to affect younger people more adversely.
This is the same variant connected to a massive COVID-19 outbreak that shuttered a popular B.C. ski resort last month, is on the rise in the U.S. and is overwhelming hospitals in Brazil.
To date, 1,430 of Hamilton’s COVID-19 cases have screened positive for variants and 23 have been confirmed as that originating from the U.K.
On Wednesday, Hamilton reported 201 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in the community, bringing the city’s total number of cases to 14,582.
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This is the second time the city has reported more than 200 new cases in a day. The other time was in early January, at the peak of the second wave, but at the time, public health officials cited a data clean-up as a reason for the jump in the number of reported cases.
There are currently 1,224 active cases of the virus in Hamilton and 44 active outbreaks. Approximately 87.7 per cent of cases have been resolved and the city has reported 337 COVID-19-related deaths.
Hamilton hospitals are currently treating 117 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19.
As of Wednesday, 139,501 vaccines have been administered in Hamilton.
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