Calls for precautions against COVID-19, flu pick up steam
CBC News | Posted: October 14, 2022 5:59 PM | Last Updated: October 14, 2022
Groups in the Belleville area say winter will likely be challenging
Recent developments:
- Ottawa's pandemic trends are stable or rising.
- A challenging winter is likely ahead in the Belleville area.
- There are provincial warnings about COVID cases, hospitalizations.
The latest guidance
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health is part of a request for people there to take precautions ahead of what will likely be a challenging fall and winter with COVID-19, colds, the flu and a strained health-care system.
"Each year, the spread of respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19, flu, and the common cold peaks around the end of December and beginning of January," said a news release.
"This year, because of lessened immunity, outdated vaccination status, and existing strain on the health-care system, we are urging local residents to take small steps to keep the health of our community a priority."
Ottawa Public Health (OPH) said in its weekly Thursday check-in that COVID levels are high.
Top health officials in both Ontario and Quebec say some of their trends are rising and people should get their updated COVID booster vaccine that better protects people against current coronavirus variants.
- Ontario opens bivalent booster appointments to everyone age 12+
- Quebec hospitalizations again on the rise, health officials encourage booster shots
Experts also recommend getting a flu shot when it's available, wearing a mask indoors and in crowded outdoor places and staying home when sick. The latter helps prevent spread of colds and the flu.
While COVID vaccines and previous infection give some protection, that protection will wane and subvariants continue to emerge.
Wastewater
The weekly average level of coronavirus in Ottawa's wastewater is high and has been stable for about 10 days.
As of Oct. 11, the average is about 5.5 times higher than it was at this time last year.
Tests, outbreaks and cases
Testing strategies changed under the Omicron variant, meaning many COVID-19 cases aren't reflected in current counts. Public health officials now only track and report outbreaks in health-care settings.
Ottawa's test positivity rate has now risen for more than a month, currently sitting at 19 per cent. OPH considers that very high.
There are currently 65 active COVID outbreaks in Ottawa. This is moderate, according to OPH, and slowly rising.
OPH reported 287 more cases over three days and three more deaths, all people age 80 or above who had COVID. A total of 905 Ottawa residents who had COVID have died.
Hospitals
Twenty-five Ottawa residents have been admitted to a city hospital with COVID-19, according to OPH's latest update. None are in intensive care.
That number had been slowly rising and then started dropping around the start of October. OPH said Thursday that hospitalization numbers are incomplete for the time being.
The hospitalization figures above don't include all patients. For example, they leave out patients admitted for other reasons who then test positive for COVID-19, those admitted for lingering COVID-19 complications, and those transferred from other health units.
When you include those kinds of patients, the number rose Friday.
Vaccines
As of the most recent weekly update, 93 per cent of Ottawa residents aged five and up had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, 90 per cent had at least two and 61 per cent at least three.
Twenty-six per cent of Ottawans aged 12 and older had at least four. Children 12 to 17 are only eligible if they're significantly immunocompromised, but that changes next week.
Nearly 8,000 residents under age five have had a first dose, which is about 17 per cent of Ottawa's population of that age group.
Across the region
Spread
As of the most recent update, wastewater trends are mixed in the Kingston area. Data from other areas is out of date or unavailable.
The average test positivity remains around 11 per cent in Renfrew County.
Hospitalizations and deaths
Western Quebec's health authority, CISSSO, reports a stable 86 COVID hospitalizations. One of them is in intensive care. It also reported its 349th COVID death in its weekly update.
Eastern Ontario communities outside Ottawa are reporting a rise to about 60 COVID hospitalizations, eight of them in intensive care. Nearly half are in the Kingston area.
That regional count doesn't include Hastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health, which has a different counting method. Its 43 COVID hospitalizations are among its highest counts of 2022.
Vaccines
Across eastern Ontario, between 81 and 92 per cent of residents age five and up have received at least two vaccine doses and between 53 and 64 per cent of those residents have had at least three.