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8 more deaths and 93 new cases reported in Niagara

Posted: January 27, 2021

(January 26, 2021)

By: Allan Benner, St. Catharine’s Standard

Niagara’s COVID-19 death toll continues to climb, as close to 100 more people were diagnosed with the virus Tuesday.

Niagara Region Public Health reported eight more COVID-19 deaths Tuesday — following the deaths of at least 22 Niagara residents who were infected with the virus since Friday.

It brings the total number of local people who have died after testing positive for the coronavirus to at least 284 since late March.

Meanwhile, 93 new cases of the virus were reported Tuesday, bringing the region’s total to 7,445 since the pandemic began.

However, the number of patients on the health department’s active cases list dropped to 1,423 after 150 newly resolved cases were reported — including 78 additional cases that were reclassified as resolved because they were more than two weeks old and the health department was unable to contact the individuals, the heath department reported via Twitter.

Two additional outbreaks of the virus were also reported, for a total of 51 active outbreaks.

Six patients have died in connection with an ongoing outbreak on the sixth-floor unit at Welland hospital. The extended care unit at Welland hospital is also in outbreak.

Also, Unit 2A and the emergency department at St. Catharines hospital are in outbreak, but the emergency department remains open.

Several other hospital outbreaks continue, including at Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre in St. Catharines and at Grimsby’s West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in the C Ward.

Niagara Health Coalition is urging people to participate in an online provincewide protest planned for 10 a.m. Friday, on the Ontario Health Coalition Facebook page www.facebook.com/ontariohealth.

“Niagara has a huge number of long-term-care homes and retirement homes. We have an older population and, in some communities, more than 20 per cent (of the population) are over 65,” Niagara Health Coalition president Sue Hotte wrote in an email, while also urging residents to contact their MPPs to share their concerns.

She said by standing together, Niagara residents can pressure the provincial government to ensure “we get the vaccines and that the long-term-care homes in outbreaks receive the support they need to quickly get the outbreaks under control thus protecting our seniors who are in vulnerable positions and the health care workers who are doing the best that they can in an extremely difficult situation.”

Meanwhile, there are outbreaks at 29 long-term-care homes in the region.

In Niagara Falls, at Greycliff Manor, R.H. Lawson Salvation Army Eventide Home, Oakwood Park Lodge, Chippawa Creek at Bella Care Residence (Willoughby and Vineyard units), Monarch Memory Care and Millennium Trail Manor.

In St. Catharines, at Heatherwood Retirement Residence, Heidehof Home for the Aged, Henley House, Radiant Care Tabor Manor long-term care, Tufford Manor, Linhaven nursing home (Lincoln, Henley, Brock floors), Royal Henley Retirement Residence, Tufford Nursing Home, Extendicare, Garden City Manor.

In Niagara-on-the-Lake, at Niagara Long-Term Care Residence (Riverview unit) and at Pleasant Manor long-term care. In Lincoln at Albright Manor, and in Grimsby at Shalom Manor.

In Welland at Villa de Rose Retirement Suites, Rapelje Lodge (houses 400, 500) and Seasons Retirement Communities. In Pelham, at Lookout Ridge Retirement Community, and in Thorold at Cobblestone Gardens Retirement Residence.

In Fort Erie at Crescent Park Lodge and Maple Park Lodge (Robin, Cardinal units), and in Port Colborne at Northland Pointe.

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