Bargain hunters walk through clothing racks set up in the driveway during the Glebe Garage Big Sale, which returned from a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Ottawa, May 28, 2022 (Justin Tang / The Canadian Press)
- Pandemic trends in Ottawa are stable or declining.
- Its residents have had about 20,000 doses of vaccine in the past two weeks.
- Five local COVID-19 deaths were reported Monday.
Today’s update in Ottawa
Wastewater
The level of coronavirus found in Ottawa’s wastewater has been falling very slowly for nearly a week.
The latest available data (the thick red line in the chart below) shows that the seven-day average, calculated on May 26, remained about twice as high as in early March, before the current jump.
That’s about six times higher than in late fall before the Omicron appeared.
Researchers measuring and sharing the amount of the new coronavirus in Ottawa’s wastewater have reported new pandemic records for daily readings and weekly averages in April 2022. The latest figures are from May 26. (613covid.ca)
Hospitals
Fourteen Ottawa residents are in local hospitals to be treated for COVID-19, according to an OPH update on Monday. Two of the patients are in intensive care.
Both fell for about two weeks, starting in late April, and then remained stable for about two weeks.
The hospitalization figures above do not include all patients. For example, they omit patients admitted for other reasons who then test positive for COVID-19, those admitted for long-term complications of COVID-19, and those transferred from other health care units.
Including these categories, there were 60 patients on Saturday. This is less than the previous few updates.
Public Health in Ottawa has a number of hospitals for COVID-19, which shows all hospital patients who have tested positive for COVID, including those admitted for other reasons, and who live in other areas. It was 60 to 28 May. (Public Health of Ottawa)
Tests, outbreaks and cases
Testing strategies have changed with the infectious version of Omicron, which means that many cases of COVID-19 are not reflected in the current issue. Public health monitors and reports only outbreaks that occur in health facilities.
At about seven percent, the Ottawa average pass rate for those who received PCR tests outside of long-term care homes is stable. The average in homes is five percent, which is slowly declining.
Ottawa has 19 active COVID outbreaks on Monday. This number is declining very slowly.
On Monday, OPH reported another 113 cases in three days and three more deaths. This increases the number of deaths from COVID in the city to 26 this month and a total of 807.
The moving weekly frequency of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, expressed per 100,000 inhabitants, is about 25.
Vaccines
916 961: Ottawa residents aged five and over with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, about 400 more than the last OPH update two weeks ago. This is still 92 percent of the eligible population.
881 483: Ottawa residents aged five and over with a second dose, about 650 since the last update. This is still 89 percent of the eligible population.
577,660: Ottawa residents aged 12 and over with a third dose, about 400 since the last update. This is still 63% of these residents; younger children meet the requirements only with certain health conditions.
Ten percent of residents aged 12 and over receive a fourth dose, or about 91,600 people. This is more than 17,000 fourth doses since the last update.
Throughout the region
Wastewater levels in the Kingston area and Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties (LGL) are stable or declining.
Measurements elsewhere are at least one week old or not publicly available.
West Quebec has about 50 COVID hospitalizations, including patients who are no longer considered active cases. This is a small number from last week. One of these patients needs intensive treatment.
Outaouais health authorities reported their 315th death from COVID-19 overall on Monday, its 11th report this month.
Eastern Ontario communities outside Ottawa have reported 35 hospitalizations with COVID-19, including about five in intensive care. Both numbers are stable.
None of these numbers in eastern Ontario include Prince Edward Hastings’ (HPE) Public Health, which, like western Quebec, has a different method of counting.
LGL announced its 107th death from COVID on Monday. His hospitalizations at COVID are stable between five and nine this month.
The Eastern Ontario Health Authority lists six local active hospitalizations at COVID, which is around where that number has been for two weeks.
Vaccines
About 5.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been given to people in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
Quebec estimates that about 78% of Outaouais residents are “adequately vaccinated,” which may be a combination of vaccination and a recent infection.
For each health unit in eastern Ontario, there are somewhere between 81 and 92 percent of eligible residents with at least two doses of vaccine and somewhere between 59 and 71 percent of adults with three doses.
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