Region’s COVID death rate No. 5 in province
WATERLOO REGION — The devastating COVID-19 outbreak at a Kitchener nursing home is helping the disease hit this region harder than most of Ontario.
Waterloo Region is top five in Ontario for its coronavirus death rate, top eight for its case rate, and top five for deaths as a share of cases, comparing by population.
“That would be because of Forest Heights,” said acting medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, referencing the Revera-owned nursing home where 47 elderly residents have died and 231 other residents or staff have been infected.
This region exceeds provincial averages for deaths and infections. It is arguably among the five places hit hardest by the virus based on COVID-19 data from 34 health units collected by The
Toronto Star.
Comparing populations, this region is faring about the same as Toronto and worse than Ottawa, Mississauga, Guelph, London,
Hamilton and Windsor.
Hamilton’s population is roughly the same at just under 600,000. Hamilton has 25 deaths and 500 cases compared to 105 deaths and 963 cases reported in this region by May 13.
Deaths at the Forest
Heights nursing home count for almost half of local deaths. They are almost double all deaths in Hamilton.
“Because it’s significant it obviously affects the numbers,” Wang said.
Without Forest Heights, this region would be at or below provincial averages for disease impacts as might be expected in a region whose relative youth could help shield it from a virus that kills the elderly and the sick.
An analysis of local cases shows that while it is mostly women who are testing positive, it may be mostly men who are killed by the disease.
Experts say limited testing likely explains why women account for 60 per cent of local infections, a rate similar to the province. Testing targets health-care workers and elderly residents. These groups are predominantly women.
It’s not fully understood why men would die more frequently. “This seems to hold across regions and countries. We don’t know exactly why this is,” said Craig Janes, director of the School of Public Health at the University of Waterloo.
Experts speculate men are more likely to be weakened by heart and liver disease, women are better able to fight off lung infections, men are less likely to stay away from others, and men are less likely to seek medical advice.
Men account for 55 per cent of deaths in this region. A caution: this is according to an incomplete Ministry of Health database that’s missing 29 local deaths not yet recorded due to reporting delays.
Provincially, men account for 45 per cent of COVID-19 deaths according to the incomplete database that’s missing at least 77 deaths.
Among deaths in this region already recorded by the Ministry of Health, two-thirds are people aged 80 or older. That’s similar to the provincial numbers.