Recent Developments:
- Ottawa has recorded two new deaths from COVID-19 in the past four days.
- The number of outbreaks in healthcare facilities dropped to 53.
While many key indicators — such as levels of COVID-19 in Ottawa’s wastewater — are falling, overall levels of the virus remain high in the community.
On Friday, the province’s chief health officer said Ontario’s seventh wave of COVID-19 has peaked.
COVID-19 SNAPSHOT – August 4, 2022
We are halfway through this summer holiday season & COVID levels remain high in the community. Make the most of summer by staying healthy and using layers of protection.
Check out this week’s video & tweets below for more info. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/AFCHzY4dKF
—@OttawaHealth
This wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, led by the BA.5 subvariant of the coronavirus in the region. The local health system is again strained by the combination of pandemic workload and staff shortages.
Two Ottawa-area hospitals had to close their emergency rooms last weekend and have not ruled out the possibility of more closures in the future.
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.
Even if your child has been sick with COVID-19, it is still recommended that they get vaccinated for longer protection against future COVID-19 infections.
first onset of symptoms of COVID-19 OR a positive test result.
Still on pic.twitter.com/J1UmFmXpsq
—@OttawaHealth
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, but has been declining since early August.
Chart of June 2020 coronavirus effluent levels (613covid.ca)
Hospitals
Thirty-nine Ottawa residents have been admitted to a city hospital with COVID-19, according to OPH’s latest update.
Two of the patients are in intensive care.
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, 122 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized at last count. 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 15 percent.
There are currently 53 active outbreaks of COVID in Ottawa, while those numbers are declining, three new outbreaks have been reported in the past four days.
OPH reported 438 more cases and two new deaths in the past four days.
In Ottawa, a total of 854 residents have died from COVID-19. Its 244 victims in 2022 surpassed 229 in 2021. There are 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 19 per cent received four.
Throughout the region
In Leeds, Grenville and Lanark (LGL) counties, sewage levels rose in Brockville and Kemptville for most of July, but have started to fall slightly. They are stable in Smiths Falls and in the Kingston area.
Western Quebec reports an increase to 93 hospitalizations with COVID. Two of the patients are in intensive care. And two more people have died in that region in the past week due to COVID-19.
Eastern Ontario communities outside of Ottawa have reported 34 hospitalizations with COVID, including four 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 the 14 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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