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New COVID-19 outbreaks hit area nursing homes and hospitals hard over the weekend as the number of Hamilton deaths linked to the novel coronavirus grew to eight.

That tally includes two more seniors who have died at the beleaguered Cardinal Retirement Residence, which also has 12 staff infected and off work. Six of the eight COVID-19 deaths in Hamilton so far have been in homes for seniors.

The weekend spike in outbreaks highlights the difficulty — and importance — of preventing the spread of COVID-19 in institutions across Ontario, said Dr. Dale Kalina, medical director of infection prevention and control at Joseph Brant Hospital, where outbreaks were declared on two units Saturday.

“We’re seeing a number of outbreaks (in the region), especially among health-care workers,” said Kalina, noting Burlington’s outbreak includes two nurses and three patients. Similar weekend outbreaks at hospitals in St. Catharines and Brantford also included infected staff.

He said hospitals are working hard to source personal protective equipment — Burlington has about a week’s supply now — and reinforcing safe training, practices and cleaning.

But Kalina also emphasized the “importance of the community remaining vigilant, and continuing with everything from social distancing to quarantining and isolating as people become infected. It really can spread and is quite infectious and that is exactly what we’re seeing right now.”

Public health officials are braced for more outbreaks in long-term care and retirement homes — especially since the definition of “outbreak” has changed to include even a single case in institutional facilities, said Dr. Ninh Tran, associate medical officer of health in Hamilton.

Hamilton’s latest institutional COVID-19 outbreaks include one staff member infected at Chartwell Deerview Crossing Retirement Residence on Rymal Road West, one staff member infected at Clarion Nursing Home in Stoney Creek and one resident of Kingsberry Retirement Residence on Limeridge Road East.

Earlier outbreaks in area long-term care and nursing homes have had tragic consequences, however.

Public health authorities have reported 13 deaths linked to a COVID-19 outbreak at Anson Place in Hagersville. Three residents have died at Heritage Green in Stoney Creek, where 11 residents and three staff are still infected.

Three seniors have also died at Cardinal Retirement Residence, most recently a 71-year-old man April 9 and an 88-year-old man April 10. The city said Sunday 22 residents and 12 workers are infected at the Durand retirement home, which suffered a recent staffing shortage that prompted the city and government regulatory bodies to step in.

Health experts — including Dr. Mark Loeb, division director of infectious disease at McMaster University — have suggested it would be safer for families who are able to pull relatives out of long-term care homes during the pandemic.

Residents in care are typically more vulnerable, whether through age or multiple medical conditions, and are more at risk simply because they live in close quarters with others and have regular contact with staff who bathe and feed them.

But many families cannot take their relatives homes. As a result, Tran said public health is “reaching out proactively” to retirement residences in particular to evaluate their needs, answer questions and “offer support.”

He noted retirement homes face a steeper “learning curve” related to staff training and equipment needed for an unprecedented pandemic — and all institutions, including hospitals and long-term care facilities, are hustling to find enough personal protective equipment.

Emergency operations director Paul Johnson said the city found extra personal protective equipment for Cardinal last week and helped with a “deep clean” of the facility after some residents were taken to hospital. Health regulators stepped in to facilitate nursing and personal support worker aid.

There was also some good news on the weekend, with no further cases of COVID-19 reported at Wentworth Lodge in Dundas or at the special care nursery at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. So far, all exposed infants have tested negative for the virus.

At Joseph Brant, the outbreaks spurred the closure of the affected surgical and rehabilitation units to new admissions. Both units have also seen “enhanced cleaning.”

The infected nurses are self-isolating at home and have not come into the lakeside hospital since they developed symptoms of illness. No information about the affected patients was released other than that they remained in hospital and outside of intensive care. There are six COVID-19 patients overall at Jo Brant.

The hospital said other patients in the affected units are “in quarantine” and have been told to maintain self-isolation at home for the minimum 14 days when they are discharged.

President Eric Vandewall said the hospital is working with local and provincial experts “daily” to implement the latest safety measures and advice related to the pandemic. “We’re pretty comfortable the plan will work in terms of mitigation and that we will see the outbreak subside in the days and weeks ahead.”