Haldimand-Norfolk tops 400 COVID-19 cases, posts highest per capita rate in Ontario
Clusters at Hagersville’s Anson Place, Scotlynn Group in Vittoria account for most local cases
Haldimand-Norfolk added nine lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 406.
The region holds the dubious distinction of having Ontario’s highest per capita rate of the disease at 346.2 per 100,000 residents.
Clusters at Anson Place Care Centre in Hagersville and Scotlynn Group, a farm in Vittoria, account for approximately twothirds of local cases.
The outbreak at Anson Place infected 72 residents and at least 30 staff members. The virus was the official cause of death for 27 residents, while the health unit said several more had COVID-19 but died of other medical causes.
In total, 31 residents in Haldimand-Norfolk have died of COVID-19, while 140 patients have recovered.
More than 200 migrant workers at Scotlynn are currently in self-isolation after the virus quickly spread through the farm late last month. The health unit said 164 migrant workers tested positive, along with four other residents tested through contact tracing.
The province cited the outbreak at Scotlynn as the reason Haldimand-Norfolk was held back from advancing to the second stage of reopening this Friday.
Ten migrant workers were hospitalized, with three spending time in the intensive care unit, said Norfolk General Hospital (NGH) interim CEO Tom Thomson.
One patient was still at NGH as of Thursday morning, though Thomson expected him to be discharged “shortly.” Another was transferred to a hospital in London “because they required a higher level of care,” Thomson said.
Citing privacy concerns, Thomson did not say if any of the patients required ventilation. The advocacy group Migrant Worker Alliance for Change said one Scotlynn worker was reportedly intubated in preparation to go on a ventilator.
According to the hospital’s website, NGH has treated “less than 15” COVID-19 patients since the pandemic began.
Taking out the two clusters, the health unit says Simcoe, Caledonia and Dunnville are the only communities to see caseloads in the double digits. Most towns have fewer than 10 lab-confirmed cases among their residents.
“Working together, I remain optimistic that we will be able to return to a new level of normalcy in the near future,” said the region’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Shanker Nesathurai.
J.P. Antonacci’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows him to report on stories about the regions of Haldimand and Norfolk.