RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:
COVID-19 numbers to watch out for in the city are typically very high and are either solid or emerging in this week’s Ottawa Public Health (OPH) updates.
The most recent figures show peak respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity, while flu trends are low.
OPH says the city’s fitness services remain the top risk for respiratory illnesses, as has been the case since early September.
The city is about to enter the classic breathing season (December through February) with more signs of coronavirus in its wastewater than at this time in the last three years, fewer flu signals than last year at this time, and about the same amount of RSV.
Experts recommend people cover coughs and sneezes, wear masks, keep their hands and often-touched surfaces clean, stay home when sick and keep up to date with COVID and flu vaccines to help protect themselves and vulnerable people.
Sewage
Data from the research team shows, as of Nov. 23, the average coronavirus wastewater level is again rising to its highest point since mid-January 2023. OPH considers this very high.
Hospitals
Over the past week, the average number of Ottawa citizens in hospitals for COVID-19 increased to 79, adding two patients in intensive care.
A separate count, which includes patients who underwent COVID testing after being admitted for other reasons, who were admitted for lingering COVID complications, or who were transferred from other fitness units, decreases after two weeks of significant increases.
There were 54 new patients last week. OPH considers this to be a high number of new hospitalizations.
Tests, outbreaks and deaths
The city’s average weekly positivity rate hovers around 20% and has hovered between 15 and 20% this month. The OPH classifies this figure as very high, compared to recent weeks.
There are 38 active COVID outbreaks, almost all of them in nursing homes or hospitals. The overall is still strong, but the number of new outbreaks is very high.
The gym has reported 292 additional COVID cases over the past week and four additional COVID deaths.
He also said he added 25 more deaths to his tally after the province replaced what it considers one death with COVID. The new total stands at 1,171 resident deaths reported through COVID, bringing the total to 154 this year.
OPH’s next update on COVID vaccination will be next week.
Spread & Vaccination
The Kingston area’s health unit says its COVID trends are stable at mostly moderate levels and it’s in a high-risk time for transmission. Flu indicators are low and RSV trends are high and rising.
The average rate of coronavirus in the region’s wastewater is very high and rising, while its average COVID-19 test positivity rate is moderate and robust at 14%.
The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) says we are at a high-risk time for COVID. Its test positivity rate of 21 percent and 15 active outbreaks are considered very high, its wastewater scores are moderate and declining.
Hastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health says 15 percent of its citizens have received a COVID vaccine in the past six months, up from thirteen percent last week.
Hospitalizations and deaths
The EOHU has 22 COVID-related hospitalizations, which it considers very high.
The Kingston Region Health Unit says it has 14 active COVID-19 patients in its hospitals, in addition to living in some other fitness unit. This is classified as moderate and decreasing.
HPE, like Ottawa, has a weekly average of COVID hospitals: 17 solid, with 3 patients in intensive care.
Western Quebec has a solid number of 78 hospitalized COVID patients. The province says there has been one more death due to COVID, for a total of 522.
The EOHU reported seven more deaths due to COVID-19 in the last week. The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark (LGL) County Health Unit reported 3 more COVID deaths.
LGL data goes up to Nov. 19. Renfrew County’s updates come every second Thursday.
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