Hamilton mayor Fred Eisenberger tests positive for COVID-19

Hamilton mayor Fred Eisenberger has tested positive for COVID-19.

A release issued by his office Wednesday morning says the mayor received a positive test result Tuesday evening. He is experiencing symptoms, and is "following public health guidelines and self-isolating."

Hamilton public health guidelines say a fully vaccinated person should isolate for five days starting after the day symptoms started, or after their PCR or rapid test. They are also advised to notify their close contacts.

Eisenberger has been a vocal public proponent of vaccination, alerting the media on the day of his first shot — April 11, 2021 — and posting on Twitter on the day of his second shot, which was June 13. 

He repeated those calls in the Wednesday release. 

"Please everyone get vaccinated, get boosted, follow public health advice and stay home if you have symptoms," said Eisenberger, 69.

Hamilton public health says transmission continues to rise in Hamilton, as the sixth wave grows across Ontario following the removal of masking and other public health measures in March. Test positivity is at 16 per cent for those who are able to access PCR testing, as is the number of cases linked to the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron, which is more contagious than the original Omicron strain. 

The most recent wastewater testing indicates higher levels of COVID in the community than in most of the pandemic so far, except for the height of the fifth wave.

Hospitalization and intensive care admissions, however, remain stable, with 16 people currently hospitalized and two people in intensive care.