COVID-19 trends remain stable or dropping in Ottawa

Recent developments:

• Ottawa's COVID-19 trends remain stable or dropping.
• Five more people in the region have died with COVID-19.

The latest 

For the third straight week, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) says that recent downward respiratory virus trends are encouraging but it's still worthwhile to reduce risks as COVID-19 levels overall remain high.

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

A broader look at respiratory illnesses comes on Wednesdays. Overall, respiratory virus activity appeared to be dropping and non-COVID virus levels were generally seen as being low.

Wastewater

Data from the research team shows that as of Feb. 3, the weekly average level of coronavirus in Ottawa's wastewater remained stable after dropping to its lowest level since mid-December.

Despite that drop, OPH still considers the level to be very high.

Hospitals

OPH's count of active, local COVID-19 hospital patients dropped slightly from 30 to 27, according to Friday's update, with no patients in intensive care.

There is another count that includes other patients, such as people admitted for other reasons who then test positive for COVID, those admitted for lingering COVID complications, and those transferred from other health units.

That count generally remained stable in January, hovering in the 80s and 90s, but the first public health update of February showed a slight decline to 77.

Tests, outbreaks and deaths

Ottawa's COVID-19 test positivity rate has dropped to around 11 per cent, which OPH says is moderate. Testing strategies changed at the end of 2021 and many cases aren't reflected in counts.

There are 16 active COVID outbreaks in Ottawa, according to OPH. That number had been slowly dropping in January, and the latest numbers show the trend is continuing.

OPH has reported 219 more COVID cases since Tuesday and four deaths of people with COVID. In all, 1,012 Ottawa residents who've died since the start of the pandemic had COVID as a contributing or underlying factor.

Vaccines

Thirty-two per cent of Ottawans age 12 and older have had their most recent dose within the last six months, as is generally recommended, with older age groups having higher rates.

This does not factor in immunity from getting COVID.

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 coronavirus wastewater averages are split between stability and rising in Kingston and starting to decline across Leeds, Grenville and Lanark (LGL) counties. 

The averages are dropping in Casselman and Hawkesbury and rising in Cornwall. Data for other areas outside Ottawa is out of date or unavailable.

The EOHU's COVID risk level is considered low.

Hospitalizations and deaths

Eastern Ontario communities outside Ottawa report about 30 COVID-19 hospitalizations, with three patients in intensive care.

The Eastern Ontario Health Unit recorded one more death related to COVID-19.

That regional count doesn't include Hastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health, which has a different counting method. Its local hospitalization count is low and stable.

Western Quebec's health authority, CISSSO, reported 114 COVID hospitalizations last week. None of the patients were in intensive care. The agency hasn't updated its numbers since Jan. 26.

Vaccines

The Kingston area's health unit says that 32 per cent of its population age five and up have had a booster vaccine in the last six months. That number is 27 per cent in HPE and unavailable elsewhere.

Across eastern Ontario, between 82 and 93 per cent of residents age five and up have received at least two COVID-19 vaccine doses, and between 54 and 66 per cent of those residents have had at least three.