Recent developments:
- Ottawa’s coronavirus effluent level is higher than the previous two Januarys.
- The rate of positive tests for COVID-19 and the number of hospitalizations are increasing.
- Six more died from COVID in the region.
- The Kingston Regional Health Unit is talking more about its record positive test.
The latest guide
Local authorities are monitoring respiratory disease trends in the city after the holidays, with some key spikes in late December.
The health system, especially for children, is under great pressure due to COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), resulting in long waits and unprecedented response actions.
Experts strongly recommend that people wear masks indoors and in Ontario in the days following the onset of COVID symptoms.
Staying home when you are sick, keeping your hands and surfaces clean, and keeping up-to-date with your COVID and flu vaccines are also recommended to protect people, especially more vulnerable people, including children.
After the busy holiday season, you can help others stay healthy by getting checked for symptoms and staying home if you feel sick. Please continue to wear a well-fitting mask in indoor public places and crowded outdoor spaces. (2/4)
—@OttawaHealth
CBC Ottawa looks at COVID trends Tuesday and Friday. A broader look at respiratory illnesses comes Wednesday: Ottawa Public Health (OPH) says flu activity is considered stable, while other respiratory illness activity, including COVID, is increasing.
Wastewater
Data from the research team shows that the average weekly level of the coronavirus in Ottawa’s wastewater as of Jan. 2 has been rising since the last week of November and has risen even faster in the last week.
It is back to where it was at the start of August 2022 and is higher than it was in January 2021 or 2022 when there were more rules. The January 2 daily reading was the highest in more than five months.
OPH considers this level to be very high.
The amount of novel coronavirus in Ottawa’s wastewater is slightly higher than the peak in January 2022. Latest data is from January 2, 2023 (613covid.ca)
Hospitals
OPH’s number of active local hospital patients with COVID-19 rises to 35, according to Tuesday’s update, with one patient in the intensive care unit.
There is another number that includes other patients, such as people admitted for other reasons who then test positive for COVID, those admitted for long-term complications of COVID, and those transferred from other health care facilities.
This number has been declining and has been stable recently.
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. It was around 130 on December 11th and 83 on Tuesday. (Ottawa Public Health)
Tests, outbreaks and deaths
The rate of positive tests for COVID-19 in Ottawa is rising to about 19 per cent. OPH considers this high. Testing strategies changed in late 2021 and many cases are not reflected in the count.
There are 36 active outbreaks of COVID in Ottawa, two fewer than Tuesday. This number has been stable for about a week.
OPH reported 213 more cases of COVID in three days and the deaths of four people who had COVID: three of them in their 80s and one in their 70s. A total of 990 Ottawa residents who had COVID have died since the pandemic began.
Vaccines
Thirty-five per cent of Ottawa residents aged 12 and over received their last dose in the past six months, as is usually recommended, with older age groups having higher rates.
It is not a factor in immunity against contracting COVID.
Ottawa Public Health shares how residents ages 12 and older recently received their latest COVID-19 vaccine. (Ottawa Public Health)
As of the last weekly update, 93 per cent of Ottawa residents aged five and over had at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, 90 per cent had at least two and 62 per cent at least three.
Thirty-six per cent of Ottawa residents aged 12 and over received at least four doses.
About 9,450 residents under the age of five received their first dose, which is about 21 per cent of Ottawa’s population in that age group. About 4,900, or 11 percent, had two.
Throughout the region
Distribution
Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU)’s average COVID test positivity rose to 16 percent in the first updates for 2023. Renfrew County’s positivity is steady around seven percent.
The medical officer of health for the Kingston area told the CBC on Wednesday that the record high positive test average of about 25 percent came from a smaller sample that was only from health facilities.
Respiratory hospitalizations were stable, Dr. Piotr Oglaza said, and he was waiting for more recent data on the sewage.
Out-of-Ottawa coronavirus wastewater averages are out of date or unavailable after the holidays.
Hospitalizations and deaths
Eastern Ontario communities outside of Ottawa reported 35 hospitalizations for COVID-19, with three patients in intensive care, all at EOHU.
This regional census does not include Hastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health, which has a different census method. Hospitalizations have been low and stable since late November,
The Western Quebec Health Authority, CISSSO, reports a stable 86 hospitalizations with COVID. None of the patients are in intensive care.
EOHU reported two more deaths from COVID for a total of 279. CISSSO and the Renfrew County Health Unit reported no more deaths.
2022 was the deadliest year for reported deaths from COVID in the greater Ottawa-Gatineau region.
Vaccines
Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health says 33 percent of the over-five population has received a booster shot in the past six months. This number is 27 percent at HPE and is not available elsewhere.
In eastern Ontario, between 82 and 93 per cent of residents aged five and over have received at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and between 53 and 65 per cent of those residents have received at least three.
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