Recent developments:
- Ottawa’s COVID-19 trends are stable.
- The EOHU’s COVID risk level stays moderate.
- Seven more people with COVID have died within the region.
The newest
After a concerning rise in trends around the top of 2022, Ottawa Public Health (OPH)’s tone began being more encouraging across the middle of January.
The situation has generally been alright since, with any increasing indicators balanced off by a drop or plateau.
OPH currently says COVID-19 indicators remain generally stable at moderate to very high levels.
Experts strongly recommend people wear masks indoors and, in Ontario, in the times after having COVID symptoms. Staying home when sick and staying up to this point with COVID and flu vaccines may also help protect vulnerable people.
Non-COVID respiratory virus levels are generally low and seasonal.
Wastewater
Data from the research team shows the typical coronavirus wastewater level is stable as of probably the most recent data on March 2.
OPH considers this level to be very high.
Hospitals
The variety of patients with COVID-19 in local hospitals stays relatively stable at 18. That is below where that number was for many of the second half of 2022.
None of those patients are in intensive care.
A separate count that features patients who tested positive for COVID after being admitted for other reasons, those admitted for lingering COVID complications, and people transferred from other health units also stays stable.
Tests, outbreaks and deaths
Ottawa has 21 energetic COVID outbreaks, a number that has levelled off for 2 weeks after rising for 2 weeks. That is considered moderate.
The town’s COVID-19 test positivity rate has remained stable at around 11 or 12 per cent for the reason that start of February, which OPH also calls moderate.
OPH has reported 92 more COVID cases since Friday and the death of somebody of their 70s who had COVID.
Up to now, 1,022 Ottawa residents have died with COVID as a contributing or underlying factor. Thirty of those people have died this yr.
Vaccines
Twenty-nine per cent of Ottawans age five and older have had a COVID vaccine dose inside the last six months, as is usually advisable, with older age groups having higher rates.
That translates to about 740,000 people in that age range without the advisable vaccine protection. It doesn’t consider immunity from getting COVID.
Ottawa residents received 1,070 COVID vaccine doses within the last week, mostly fourth doses and second doses for kids under five years old.
As of probably the most recent weekly update, 85 per cent of Ottawa residents had a minimum of one COVID vaccine dose, 82 per cent had a minimum of two, 56 per cent a minimum of three and 31 per cent a minimum of 4.
Across the region
Spread
Coronavirus wastewater averages are stable in Kingston and across Leeds, Grenville and Lanark (LGL) counties.
Averages within the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) are also stable aside from an increase in Hawkesbury. They’re otherwise old-fashioned or unavailable outside of Ottawa.
The EOHU’s COVID risk level stays moderate.
Hospitalizations and deaths
Eastern Ontario communities outside Ottawa report about 30 COVID-19 hospitalizations, with six patients in intensive care.
That regional count doesn’t include Hastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health, which has a special counting method. Its local hospitalization count has been stable.
Western Quebec has 83 COVID hospital patients, which is stable. None of them are in intensive care.
LGL reported three more COVID deaths in its weekly update, bringing its total to 154. The EOHU also reported three more of those deaths for a complete of 293.
Vaccines
The Kingston area’s health unit says 31 per cent of its population age five and up have had a COVID vaccine within the last six months. It’s 26 per cent in HPE and unavailable elsewhere.
Across eastern Ontario, between 79 and 90 per cent of residents age five and up have received a minimum of two COVID-19 vaccine doses, and between 52 and 65 per cent of those residents have had a minimum of three, in line with the province.