Counties reach 100 COVID deaths

COVID-19 has now killed 100 people in Haldimand-Norfolk.

With the announcement Wednesday of two new COVID-related deaths in the community, the local health unit has attributed 100 fatalities to the virus since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Of those, 88 were determined to have been caused by COVID-19 directly, while the virus was a contributing factor in 12 cases. There have also been 42 residents who tested positive for COVID-19, but were ruled to have died of other causes.

The health unit has not released any details about the deceased, such as age, gender or hometown, citing privacy concerns in the rural counties, which have a total population of about 110,000.

Only one victim’s name has been confirmed — Juan López Chaparro, a 55-year-old migrant farm worker from Mexico who contracted COVID-19 during an outbreak at Scotlynn Group’s Vittoria farm. Chaparro, a married father of four who worked seasonally in Canada for a decade, died in a London hospital on June 20, 2020.

Two years after his death, Scotlynn pleaded guilty to one count of failing to take all reasonable precautions to protect a worker.

More than one-quarter of the confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Haldimand-Norfolk took place during a lengthy outbreak at Anson Place Care Centre in Hagersville that started in late March 2020. Before the outbreak was declared over three months later, 27 of the 101 residents at Anson Place had died of COVID-19.

Also on Wednesday, the health unit said three residents are hospitalized with COVID and occupancy rates at the three area hospitals — including all intensive care beds — are at or above 100 per cent.