‘It’s concerning’: Hamilton medical officer issues statement after consecutive days of record COVID-19 cases

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Published November 27, 2020 at 3:40 pm

Hamilton’s Medical Officer of Health issued a statement Friday (Nov. 27) after reporting a record number of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 for the second day in a row.

“Over the past few days, Hamilton Public Health Services has reported a noticeable increase in new positive COVID-19 cases for the city of Hamilton,” said Dr. Elizabeth Richardson. “While it’s important that the numbers be viewed over a 7-day average as opposed to a day-to-day tally in order to fully understand the current local status of cases and trends in the community, these sustained increases are concerning.”

Hamilton Public Health Services (PHS) reported 87 new cases of the virus, bringing the total to 2,955 with approximately 83 per cent of those (2,447) having been resolved. There is believed to be 419 active cases in the community at the moment.

The previous record for the highest daily cases was set 24 hours earlier when Hamilton reported 71.

PHS has also confirmed another coronavirus-related death in the community, bringing the local toll to 82.

In Hamilton, the latest weekly rate of new cases per 100,000 population reported is 59.7 while the average number of cases (7-day moving average) reported per day is 48.

The percent positivity among tests has also risen to 3.7%.

“Going into what will likely be the start of a very busy shopping weekend, I would like to encourage holiday shoppers and retailers to reconsider the way they approach this annual tradition,” continued Dr. Richardson. “Instead, try online shopping, curbside pick-up and only going into essential places.  We need to continue to be mindful of the ways in which we conduct our day-to-day lives, and the choices we make in order to keep our friends and families safe.”

“I am urging our residents and visitors to Hamilton to protect one another by staying home when feeling unwell, wearing a mask when in public or if you are unable to keep a 2M distance from others, washing your hands frequently, and only going out for essential reasons.”

Hamilton continues to be firmly in the Red “Control” category in the Provincial COVID-19 Response Framework but Dr. Richardson is urging the community to work together in order to avoid moving to the Grey “Lockdown” zone.

“It’s imperative that we work together to stop the transmission of COVID-19 in order to get the number of positive cases under control and ultimately avoid further illness and fatalities in our community.”

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