Recent developments:
- Ottawa’s average coronavirus effluent level continues to rise.
- Hospitalizations, outbreaks, and positive tests also count.
- Kemptville records highest wastewater average for 2022.
The region is in the seventh wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the BA.5 sub-variant of the coronavirus. Health officials say people should get all the COVID-19 vaccines they’re eligible for, wear masks indoors and follow isolation guidelines.
In its latest weekly update, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) said the city’s wastewater levels of coronavirus and positive test rates are high.
Ottawa’s latest update
Wastewater
Average level of coronavirus in Ottawa’s wastewater has been rising for a month. This is higher than the highs of most previous waves, but below the highs reached in April 2021 and 2022.
That average is about four times higher than a month ago and 16 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 7. (613covid.ca)
Hospitals
Twenty-four Ottawa residents with COVID-19 are in local hospitals, according to OPH’s latest update. Three of them are in intensive care.
Both numbers rose to levels not seen since mid-May.
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, 82 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized as of the latest data. This is also back to mid-May levels.
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. There were 82 as of July 10. (Ottawa Public Health)
Tests, outbreaks and cases
Testing strategies have changed with the contagious 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 average positive test rate for all Ottawa residents rose further to 18 per cent. It was around 10 percent for most of June before rising in early summer.
There are currently 29 active outbreaks of COVID in Ottawa. That number has doubled since the beginning of July. About half of these outbreaks are in nursing homes.
OPH reported 278 more cases and no deaths in four days.
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 13 per cent received four. Eligibility is more limited for the third and fourth doses than for the first two.
Throughout the region
Sewage levels have had mixed trends in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties, including the highest number of the year in Kemptville last week. These levels are slowly rising in Kingston.
Data from other parts of the region are at least a week old or unavailable.
Western Quebec reported 66 hospitalizations with COVID-19, two of them in intensive care.
Eastern Ontario communities outside of Ottawa reported a stable total of 21 hospitalizations with COVID, including two patients in intensive care.
This does not include Hastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health, which has a different reporting method. Hospitalizations there are low and stable.
In eastern Ontario, between 81 and 92 percent of eligible residents received at least two doses of the vaccine, and between 59 and 71 percent of adults had at least three.
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