Ottawa’s pandemic trends are mostly on the rise

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:

• Ottawa’s pandemic trends are mostly on the rise.
• Its number of COVID-19 outbreaks has doubled in two weeks.
• Another 5,100 doses of vaccine were administered to Ottawa residents.
• The Belleville area has its highest number of COVID hospitalizations of 2022.

The latest update from Ottawa

Waste

The weekly average level of coronavirus in Ottawa’s sewage continues to rise this month.

As of September 22, levels were about double what they were at the end of August and seven times higher than they were this time last year.

Hospitals

Twenty-eight Ottawa residents have been admitted to a city hospital with COVID-19, according to the latest update from OPH. It’s a little less than the last update and overall stable over the last 10 days.

Two patients are in intensive care.

The above hospitalization figures do not include all patients. For example, they leave out patients admitted for other reasons who later test positive for COVID-19, those admitted with persistent COVID-19 complications, and those transferred from other health units.

The number that includes these types of patients dropped from mid-July to late August and increased in September.

Tests, outbreaks and cases

Testing strategies have changed under the Omicron variant, which means many COVID-19 cases are not reflected in current counts. Now, public health officials only track and report outbreaks in health care settings.

Ottawa’s test positivity rate has now increased for two weeks, currently standing at 14%.

There are currently 42 active COVID outbreaks in Ottawa, up from 39 in the last update. That number doubled in two weeks and is led by 18 outbreaks in nursing homes.

OPH reported 239 additional cases over four days and three additional deaths.

Vaccines

Approximately 5,100 doses of COVID vaccine have been administered to Ottawa residents over the past week. The weekly increase is stable this month.

According to the latest weekly update, 93% of Ottawa residents aged five and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 90% had at least two and 60% at least three.

Twenty-three percent of Ottawans aged 12 and older had four or more. Children 12 to 17 years old are only eligible if they are significantly immunocompromised.

About 7,700 residents under the age of five received a first dose, or about 17% of Ottawa’s population in that age group. That’s almost 200 more doses in seven days.

In the whole region

Spread

Since the last update, sewage levels have mixed trends in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties (LGL) and are generally low and stable in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU ), except in Morrisburg.

They are stable or up in Kingston and up since the end of August in Gatineau.

Data for other areas is outdated or unavailable.

The average EOHU test positivity also drops from around 17% to around 12%,

Hospitalizations and deaths

The Western Quebec health authority, CISSSO, reports a stable 68 COVID hospitalizations. There are no COVID patients in intensive care.

Eastern Ontario communities outside of Ottawa are reporting about 30 COVID hospitalizations, down from a steady state around 40. Nine of those patients are in intensive care.

This count does not include Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPE), which has a different method of counting. It reports an increase of 42 COVID hospitalizations – most of 2022 – with three patients in intensive care and its 83rd death from COVID.

LGL reported its 118th overall COVID death in its Tuesday weekly update. It has now reported 53 COVID deaths in 2022, matching its number for 2020.

The EOHU reports its 258th total death from COVID.

Health authorities in eastern Ontario and western Quebec reported more COVID deaths in 2022 than in 2020 or 2021.

The 2022 total is approaching 750 victims, compared to around 600 in 2020 and 500 in 2021.

Vaccines

In Eastern Ontario, between 81 and 92% of residents aged five and older have received at least two doses of the vaccine and between 52 and 64% of these residents have received at least three.