Recent developments:
- Ottawa’s average coronavirus wastewater level continues to rise.
- Hospitalizations, outbreaks, and test positivity do the same.
- Kemptville sees its highest wastewater average in 2022.
The region is in the seventh wave of the COVID-19 pandemic driven by the BA.5 coronavirus subvariant. Health officials say people should receive all vaccines against COVID-19 for which they are eligible, wear masks inside, and follow isolation guidelines.
In its most recent weekly update, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) said coronavirus wastewater levels and the city’s test positive percentage were high.
Ottawa’s latest update
Wastewater
The average level of coronavirus in Ottawa wastewater has been rising for a month. It is higher than the peaks of most previous waves, but below the levels reached in April 2021 and 2022.
This average is about four times higher than a month ago and 16 times higher than a year ago.
Researchers who measured and shared the amount of nine coronaviruses in Ottawa’s wastewater reported new pandemic records for daily and weekly average readings in April 2022. The most recent data are from July 7. . (613covid.ca)
Hospitals
Twenty-four Ottawa residents with COVID-19 are in local hospitals, according to the latest OPH update. Three of these patients are in intensive care.
Both numbers are rising to levels not seen since mid-May.
The above hospitalization figures do not include all patients. For example, they exclude patients admitted for other reasons who then test positive for COVID-19, those admitted for persistent complications of COVID-19, and those transferred from other health care units.
Including these categories, 82 patients with COVID-19 were in the hospital according to their most recent data. This also returns to mid-May levels.
Ottawa Public Health has a COVID-19 hospital count that shows all hospital patients who have tested positive for COVID, including those admitted for other reasons, and who live in other areas. There were 82 on July 10th. (Ottawa Public Health)
Tests, outbreaks and cases
Testing strategies changed with the contagious variant of Omicron, meaning that many cases of COVID-19 are not reflected in current counts. Public health officials now only monitor and report outbreaks in healthcare settings.
The average Ottawa test positivity rate for all residents increases to 18%. It sat around 10% for most of June before rising in early summer.
There are currently 29 active COVID outbreaks in Ottawa. This figure has doubled since early July. About half of these outbreaks occur in nursing homes.
OPH reported 278 more cases and no more deaths for four days.
Vaccines
As of the most recent weekly update, 93% of Ottawa residents aged five and over had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 89% had at least two.
Sixty-four percent of Ottawa residents 12 years of age or older received at least three doses and 13 percent took four. Eligibility is more limited for the third and fourth dose than for the first two.
Throughout the region
Wastewater levels have varied trends in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties, including the highest number of years in Kemptville last week. These levels are slowly rising in Kingston.
Data from other parts of the region are at least one week old or unavailable.
Western Quebec reports 66 hospitalizations for COVID-19, two of them in intensive care.
Eastern Ontario communities outside of Ottawa report a stable total of 21 COVID hospitalizations, including two patients in intensive care.
This does not include Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPE), which has a different counting method. Hospitalizations there are low and stable.
In eastern Ontario, between 81 and 92 per cent of eligible residents have received at least two doses of vaccine and between 59 and 71 per cent of adults have had at least three.