🏙️😷 #HamOnt has declared three outbreaks in multi-unit residential buildings — and that has tenants and experts concerned about the source of spread. I asked public health officials and experts about the risks tenants face. [1/18] 
https://twitter.com/TheAgenda/status/1394393902736715778
As I write this, there have been 110 COVID-19 cases and one death in an outbreak at Rebecca Towers, 69 cases at the Village Apartments and 42 cases at the Wellington place apartments. (hamilton.ca/coronavirus/st…) Hamilton had not identified apartment outbreaks before May 4. [2/18]
Hamilton’s MOH Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, has noted this does not mean they didn't happen. Peel, London and North Bay have all seen multi-unit residential building outbreaks, but overall, there is a lack of research into these types of outbreaks. [3/18]
Public-health officials attribute the Rebecca Towers outbreak to close contact between people from different households, and Richardson has said that the building was well-maintained. cbc.ca/news/canada/ha… [4/18]
Residents have told reporters they don’t understand how that explanation could account for so many cases and pointed instead to other factors — such as the building having just one working elevator for months, causing a risk of crowding. [5/18] thespec.com/news/hamilton-…
While Richardson says it’s not in public health’s purview to tell the building’s landlord, the Medallion Corporation, to quickly fix its elevator, she says that doing so has come up in conversations with the company as something that would allow for better distancing. [6/18]
Tenants and organizers like Hyeisha Campbell and Emily Power of @RebeccaTenants have also raised concerns about ventilation. Medallion did not respond to requests for comment but has said it is supporting public health and working to address essential repairs. [7/18]
#HamOnt public-health tells TVO.org “transient exposures to others outside one’s household can occur in elevators and hallways” but adds no specific cases of COVID-19 transmission linked to elevators or airflow in residential buildings have been identified. [8/18]
When pressed at a May 17 board of health meeting, Richardson said it is difficult to test for and verify the role of airflow in transmission. But, she said, “There are outbreaks where it has been identified as being a source.” [9/18]
Dr. JinHee Kim, a Public Health Ontario physician tells TVO.org that PHO is also unaware of any Ontario cases in which poor ventilation or elevators have been contributing factors to transmission. She identified several risks for apartments. (See the pic) [10/18]
In a paper, PHO found “many studies on ventilation related factors that demonstrate the risk from inadequately ventilated indoor spaces, as well as studies that have documented transmission under circumstances of likely inadequate ventilation.” bit.ly/3uWlIIB [11/18]
Dr. @BogochIsaac says apartment-building outbreaks require detailed investigations but points to two important considerations: air and human behaviour. He says the potential for airborne spread cannot be ignored. [12/18]
Engineer @DavidElfstrom, who helped investigate the outbreak in North Bay, says he thinks unit-to-unit transmission of COVID-19 through the air may be happening under the radar of public-health officials. [13/18]
He's shared his reasoning online and did so before Hamilton's board of health today. Any building that experiences an outbreak should be investigated by an engineer to ensure that HVAC systems are working as intended, he says.
https://twitter.com/DavidElfstrom/status/1379814589395795975?s=20[14/18]
Richardson told council today that public health has advised Medallion to review ventilation and airflow in the building and report back with its findings.
[15/18]
[15/18]
It's also important to note, as public health director Michelle Baird did today, that staff have identified ties between apartment outbreaks and other workplace outbreaks — notably, ones in warehouses, where many residents in the affected buildings are essential workers. [16/18]
Overall, she said, there seems to be a higher rate of COVID-19 in the neighbourhoods where the buildings are, likely due to socio-economic factors, such as employment and housing precarity. The Spec found the vaccine rate in that area is low: thespec.com/news/hamilton-… [17/18]
There are more sources and details in the article — including tips from Elfstrom for checking ventilation in your unit —
which you can read here: tvo.org/article/whats-…
Also, Hamilton has pandemic guidelines for multi-unit residences here: bit.ly/3ycJxOp [18/18]
which you can read here: tvo.org/article/whats-…
Also, Hamilton has pandemic guidelines for multi-unit residences here: bit.ly/3ycJxOp [18/18]
I’ll be on @TheAgenda tonight discussing this story with gentleman-ly @JeyanTVO!
As always, the talented @carrletta produces our Hubs segments.
As always, the talented @carrletta produces our Hubs segments.
https://twitter.com/TheAgenda/status/1395799593632272389
The video is now at this link:
And here is the segment:
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