Increase in COVID-19 cases west of Niagara a concern
Niagara seemed to be on track to eventually return to the summer months when only one or two new cases of COVID-19 were being reported a day, but a week of single-digit increases came to an end.
And although the 15 new cases reported Monday is much too little data to form any concrete opinions, it’s a number that caught the attention of Niagara’s acting medical officer of health, Dr. Mustafa Hirji.
He said seven of the 15 new cases of the virus are among people who had been in close contact with others who had the virus, four acquired the virus in the community, and the health department is working to determine how the remaining four patients acquired it.
“We’ve reopened our economy and much of society and people are out and interacting more and so infection is spreading more in the community. If infection gets to one person and they come back to their household, the household is where you have the most close interaction with other people and there’s always the highest risk of infection spreading,” Hirji said.
“We’ve seen over the last couple of weeks … our cases had flattened and they’re just starting to decrease again. There actually was a bit of a positive trajectory and it was heading downwards here,” he said.
But with neighbouring regions including Hamilton and Halton “seeing much higher cases than us,” Hirji said Niagara remains very much at risk.
“Those infections could spread over here to Niagara,” he said.
Meanwhile, after a week since Niagara residents celebrated Thanksgiving, he said the region may yet see increased numbers as a result of gatherings.
Although Hirji said efforts among residents to limit family gatherings for the holiday will help blunt the infection that could have spread, “I don’t think everybody necessarily did that.”
“I don’t want to read too much into today, but there are definitely risks around us and reasons to continue to be really vigilant against COVID-19.”
The region is now reporting an outbreak of the virus at Rapelje Lodge seniors home in Welland. It’s the second outbreak declared at the Niagara Region-run facility, bringing the total active outbreaks at long-term care homes in the region to four.
An outbreak at Meadows of Dorchester in Niagara Falls has been ongoing since Oct. 2, while an outbreak at Millennium Trail Manor in Niagara Falls began Sept. 29.
Pioneer Elder Care in St. Catharines has been dealing with an outbreak since Sept. 22.