Ottawa Public Health says Ottawa is entering a new wave of COVID-19.
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa on Monday, Deputy Medical Officer of Health Dr. Brent Moloney said OPH is monitoring rising levels of the virus in the community.
“As we enter a new wave, it’s important to consider your risk and the risk of those around you when you gather. Ottawa Public Health continues to strongly recommend that people continue to follow the measures we know work – staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations, limiting close contact, staying home if you are unwell, avoiding crowded places and wearing a mask,” he said.
OPH’s COVID-19 dashboard is only updated on Tuesdays and Fridays, and there was no update for Canada Day. As of last Tuesday’s report, OPH was reporting an increase in the number of confirmed cases reported per day and an increase in the positivity rate of people still being tested.
The number of new cases reported in the week of June 19 was 423, slightly higher than the peak of the September 2021 wave, but still well below the all-time record of 7,000 cases reported in the week of December 26, 2021 .Testing coverage was weaker in 2021 than it is now, and laboratory-confirmed cases in 2022 are generally considered an underrepresentation of the amount of COVID-19 in the community.
The latest data from Ottawa’s COVID-19 Wastewater Monitoring Project shows that the seven-day average virus signal detected in the city’s sewage since last week has been almost as high as it was at the peak of the January 2022 surge, but remains below that of the April 2022 wave in which the viral signal reached an unprecedented peak.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 remains low since the OPH report last week. As of June 28, OPH has recorded 74,866 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 819 Ottawa residents have died from the disease.
At least 209 Ottawa residents have died from COVID-19 so far in 2022, compared to 228 in all of 2021 and 381 between March and December 2020.
Moloughney’s comments come amid discussion surrounding expanding eligibility for a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to allow residents 18 and older to receive a fourth dose. Fourth doses are not currently available to people under the age of 60 in Ontario.
Canada’s chief medical officer and the National Advisory Council on Immunization (NACI) are telling provinces to start booster campaigns in the fall, but some experts are calling for boosters to become more widely available now.
Ottawa epidemiologist Dr. Raywat Deonandan told Newstalk 580 CFRA on Sunday that fall is too late to start boosters with a wave on the way, and Ottawa physician Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth said she will take legal action against the government of the province if booster eligibility remains restricted much longer.
“To wait until autumn when we are told it will be very bad in the autumn is ridiculous; we need to have access to the vaccine now,” says Kaplan-Mirt.
“A lot of people used to go to Quebec to get the vaccine because everyone 18 and over gets it, but unfortunately a lot of places in Quebec are now refusing Ontarians and now people have to drive to the United States.” “
Moloughney said the decision to expand booster eligibility is in the hands of the provincial health department.
In a statement, the Department of Health said the fourth doses were available for higher-risk populations, but a review of the guidelines was underway.
“We are reviewing the latest NACI guidelines and will provide details on fall booster vaccines in the coming weeks,” the statement said.
To date, 64 per cent of Ottawa residents aged 12 and over have received a COVID-19 booster shot, according to data from OPH.
–With files from Peter Sperling of CTV News Ottawa.
Add Comment