Ottawa's COVID-19 hospitalizations fall, test positivity rises

Recent developments:

• Ottawa's COVID-19 numbers are mixed.
• Three more local people with COVID have died.

The latest

Ottawa's pandemic trends are mixed in its late-week update. On one hand, COVID-19 hospitalizations are lower than they've been all year. On the other, the COVID test positivity average is rising for the first time this spring.

Generally, COVID indicators have remained stable or have dropped for about three months. Increases have not risen to levels Ottawa Public Health (OPH) sees as concerning.

Experts recommend people wear masks indoors and, in Ontario, in the days after having COVID symptoms. Staying home when sick and staying up to date with COVID vaccines can also help protect vulnerable people.

Wastewater

Data from the research team shows the average coronavirus wastewater level was slowly rising for about a month, but that has started to change.

As of April 18, the level has dropped four of the previous six days. OPH considers this level to be very high.

This average has generally stayed within the same range for about a year.

Hospitals

The number of Ottawa residents in local hospitals for COVID-19 has been generally stable around 20 for about two months. It dropped to 10 in Friday's update, with one ICU patient.

That's its lowest level since June 2022.

A separate count that includes patients who tested positive for COVID after being admitted for other reasons, those admitted for lingering COVID complications, and those transferred from other health units is stable.

Tests, outbreaks and deaths

Ottawa has a stable 11 active COVID outbreaks, all but one happening in a care home. According to OPH, that number is considered high.

After a drop to end winter, the city's COVID-19 test positivity rate has stayed around eight or nine per cent this month, which OPH said is moderate. It jumped to 12 per cent to start the week, back around where it was in late March.

OPH reported 82 more COVID cases since Tuesday and the deaths of two people who had COVID, one in their 60s and one age 90 or above.

Vaccines

Twenty-one per cent of Ottawans age five and older have had a COVID-19 vaccine dose within the last six months, with older age groups having higher vaccination rates. This does not factor in immunity from getting COVID.

Ontario's vaccine recommendations changed earlier this month to focus on higher-risk people.

As of the most recent weekly update, 85 per cent of Ottawa residents had at least one COVID vaccine dose, 82 per cent had at least two, 56 per cent at least three and 31 per cent at least four.

Across the region

Spread

The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU)'s COVID-19 risk level is low.

Coronavirus wastewater averages are stable in Kingston. They're otherwise out of date or unavailable outside of Ottawa.

Renfrew County's average COVID test positivity rises to around 11 per cent, about where it was a month ago.

Hospitalizations and deaths

Eastern Ontario communities outside Ottawa report 20 COVID-19 hospitalizations, with four patients in intensive care.

That regional count doesn't include Hastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health, which shares a weekly average of its local hospitalization count. It's around six patients.

Western Quebec has 35 hospital patients with COVID. None of them are in intensive care.

Renfrew County's health unit reported its 87th COVID death in its weekly update. 

Vaccines

The Kingston area's health unit says 18 per cent of its population age five and up have had a COVID vaccine in the last six months. It drops to 20 per cent in HPE and remains unavailable elsewhere.

Across eastern Ontario, between 79 and 90 per cent of residents age five and up have received at least two COVID-19 vaccine doses, and between 52 and 65 per cent of those residents have had at least three, according to the province.