Hamilton’s COVID death toll drops by 1

It comes after Hamilton recorded one more death, bringing the total number of virus-related deaths to 401 on Wednesday. The number now stands at 400.

Asked about the drop, James Berry, a public health spokesperson, said the number of cases and the number of deaths are “always subject to change” and “fluctuations are normal” in any data release.

“Some reasons for the fluctuation include ongoing investigation and data collection, handoffs between health units, and error detection,” Berry added.

He did not immediately respond to a request asking what specifically led to the removal of one death from the city’s tally in this case.

Hamilton has counted 21,363 cases of COVID-19 during the pandemic. Of these, 95.5 percent are resolved, while 97 are active.

The city’s seven-day average for new cases is 11, and its current reproductive count is 0.87.

There is an ongoing outbreak at Kirin Air Systems where two staff members have tested positive.

More than 74.5% of Hamilton residents aged 18 and over received an injection on Thursday, and just over 48% received both doses, according to a press release from the city.

About 60 percent of 12 to 17 year olds also received an injection.

The update comes as the province reported Thursday that more than half of adults in Ontario have two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Hamilton announced that starting Thursday, it opened walk-in appointments at its large-scale vaccination sites for anyone 12 years and older who is still looking for a first dose.

Authorities are also encouraging anyone who has had their first shot to reserve a second dose. There are nine upcoming public health popup clinics and three are organized by the Department of Health. More details here.

Brant

No new cases have been reported in Brant or Brantford in the past 24 hours.

The region saw 3,411 confirmed cases. Ten of them are active, while 3,381 are resolved.

One person remains hospitalized. Twenty deaths have been reported.

A total of 163,698 doses of vaccine have been distributed in Brant and Brantford. This includes 63,722 people who received two injections.

Halton

Halton counted 11 more cases of the virus on Thursday for a total of 18,049 to date.

This includes 67 assets and 17,751 resolved.

The region has reported 231 deaths.

He administered 638,849 doses of the vaccine, of which 244,330 were second injections.

Six Nations

The Six Nations of the Grand River had no active cases on Tuesday.

A total of 527 people in the reserve have tested positive.

Nine people were in self-isolation. Eleven died.

Thirty-three percent of residents received two doses of a vaccine.

Haldimand-Norfolk

There are 14 active cases of COVID-19 in Haldimand and Norfolk.

Counties have registered 2,714 positive cases throughout the pandemic. Of these, 2,647 are recovered.

Forty-seven deaths are believed to be linked to COVID.

The region administered 104,709 vaccines and 33,980 people received two injections.

Niagara

There are three new cases of COVID-19 in Niagara on Thursday.

The region saw 16,266 cases to date. Ninety-seven are active and 15,754 resolved.

Niagara has seen 415 deaths.

So far it has given 509,396 injections and reports that just over 39% of residents have received both doses.