Three major respiratory viruses circulating in Ottawa had less activity in the week ending Jan. 14 than the week before, according to a weekly update from the city’s health department.
Ottawa Public Health (OPH) says influenza, COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses active in the community — such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — all appear to be less prevalent.
COVID activity appears to be rising in the previous snapshot, while the flu situation is considered stable.
Flu levels in the city’s wastewater were moderate and declining, while positive test rates were low and also declining.
The health unit is monitoring one outbreak, which they say is moderate and increasing.
The number of confirmed flu cases in Ottawa over the past week was again well below the pre-pandemic average for that period.
Ottawa Public Health’s weekly respiratory disease report shows the number of confirmed flu cases in the city as of Jan. 14 was below normal for this time of year. (Ottawa Public Health)
As for RSV, the measurements in the wastewater were very high and the test positivity was moderate. Both were falling. There are three respiratory outbreaks that are not COVID or flu, a number OPH considers moderate and stable.
Epidemic trends were the only ones in the latest report that were not declining.
OPH released more data on COVID on Tuesday and Friday, but touches on COVID in these weekly updates: the average effluent, test positivity and number of outbreaks are down but still considered high or very high.
The health unit said these downward trends were encouraging, but the level of respiratory viruses in the city as a whole remained high and it was still worth reducing risks by wearing a mask in public, staying home when sick and getting vaccinated.
RESPIRATORY VIRUS SNAPSHOT – JANUARY 18, 2023
Our metrics are down from last week, which is encouraging, but there are still high levels of respiratory viruses circulating in Ottawa.
Please visit our dashboard for more details: pic.twitter.com/2sJTxhmPeQ
—@OttawaHealth
Respiratory symptoms and emergencies
There is a different provincial report on how many people go to emergency rooms for respiratory problems compared to previous years.
On a four-level scale of seasonal, moderate, elevated and high, Ottawa is still considered moderate and everywhere else in eastern Ontario is already seasonal.
Only the Kingston area was seasonal last Wednesday.
The rate of emergency room visits for these problems in Ottawa has generally declined since the beginning of December, rising at the end of that month. This percentage is decreasing across the region.
The rate of emergency room visits by people with respiratory complaints is back to where it was in early September, according to a provincial database shared by the Kingston Area Health Unit. (Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health)
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health in the Belleville area produces its own weekly flu report and said its activity is now considered low.
The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) has a new online respiratory disease risk index that starts with measuring COVID, but will soon expand, according to medical officer of health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis.
The health care system has been hammered for weeks by the combination of these viruses and has taken unprecedented steps to try to cope, especially when it comes to children.
This week brought some rare good news, as CHEO Children’s Hospital in eastern Ontario said “pressure has now stabilized” and can once again treat patients aged 16 and 17.
Add Comment