Recent developments:
- Ottawa reports no new deaths from COVID-19.
- The number of its outbreaks in health facilities slightly decreased to 72.
- His hospitalizations are falling.
The region is in the seventh wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the BA.5 sub-variant of the coronavirus.
Ottawa Public Health is specifically asking people to limit contact, consider wearing masks in crowded outdoor areas as well as indoors, and is asking businesses to consider returning policies such as mandatory masks.
The local health system is again strained by the combination of pandemic workload and staff shortages.
Last week 29 ED patients waited one night for an inpatient bed – we rarely see such a high #. This has an impact on wait times as there are fewer spaces available in the ED for new patients. While we do everything we can to ensure patients are seen as soon as possible, some have been waiting more than 12 hours.
—@QCHOttawa
Ottawa’s latest update
Wastewater
The average level of coronavirus in Ottawa’s wastewater is very high. It has been rising for more than a month, starting in early June, and has slowly declined eight of the last 10 days of data.
That average as of July 24 is about twice as high as a month ago and about 15 times higher than a year ago.
Researchers measuring and sharing the amount of the novel coronavirus in Ottawa’s wastewater reported new pandemic records for daily readings and weekly averages in April 2022. The latest data is from July 24. (613covid.ca)
Hospitals
Twenty-seven Ottawa residents have been admitted to a city hospital with COVID-19, according to OPH’s latest update.
Three of them are in intensive care.
A year ago, these hospital patients were three, and two years ago there were nine.
The hospitalization figures above do not include all patients. For example, they miss 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 facilities.
Including these categories, 130 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized as of the latest data. That number is decreasing.
Ottawa Public Health has a COVID-19 hospital count that shows all hospitalized patients who test positive for COVID, including those admitted for other reasons and who live in other areas. (Ottawa Public Health)
Tests, outbreaks and cases
Testing strategies have changed with the Omicron variant, meaning many cases of COVID-19 are not reflected in the current count. Public health officials now only track and report outbreaks in healthcare facilities.
The positive test rate in Ottawa is about 21 percent. This is very high and growing. It was about 15 percent a month ago.
There are currently 72 active outbreaks of COVID in Ottawa.
OPH reported 289 more cases and no new deaths in the past four days.
In Ottawa, a total of 844 residents have died from COVID-19. Its 234 victims in 2022 surpassed 229 in 2021. There were 381 deaths from COVID in 2020.
Vaccines
As of the last weekly update, 93 per cent of Ottawa residents aged five and over had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 89 per cent had at least two.
Sixty-four per cent of Ottawa residents aged 12 and over received at least three doses, and 16 per cent received four.
OPH reported an increase to about 20,000 doses of vaccines given to Ottawa residents in the past week. Almost all were fourth doses.
Throughout the region
In Leeds, Grenville and Lanark (LGL) counties, effluent levels increased in Brockville and Kemptville and remained stable in Smiths Falls. These levels are stable in the Kingston area and fall from peaks in Casselman and Hawkesbury.
Data from other areas is either from at least a week ago or is not publicly available.
Western Quebec reports an increase of 83 hospitalizations with COVID. Three of them are in intensive care. And three more people have died in this region due to COVID-19.
Eastern Ontario communities outside of Ottawa have reported 46 hospitalizations with COVID, including six patients in intensive care.
This regional total does not include Hastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health, which has a different reporting method. A slight increase is 11 hospitalized, and one patient is in intensive care.
Of the seven local health authorities, three had more deaths this year than in 2020 or 2021 — HPE, Kingston Region and Renfrew County. All six in eastern Ontario have more in 2022 than in 2021.
In eastern Ontario, between 81 and 92 per cent of residents aged five and over received at least two doses of the vaccine, and between 59 and 71 per cent of adults received at least three.
The total number of doses of vaccines administered to local residents exceeded 5.6 million.
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