COVID stable in Ottawa as health unit looks to months ahead
CBC News | Posted: September 13, 2023 6:10 PM | Last Updated: September 13, 2023
Ottawa Public Health expects this respiratory season to be like last year's: challenging
Recent developments:
- Ottawa's COVID-19 trends are stable.
- Its health unit says this respiratory illness season should resemble last year's.
- Health Canada approves Moderna's updated COVID vaccine.
- The Kingston area debuts a new respiratory dashboard.
- Four more local COVID deaths have been reported.
The latest
The city's pandemic numbers to watch are stable — at levels ranging from low to very high — in this week's Ottawa Public Health (OPH) update.
Because of this, OPH says the city's health-care institutions are at a high risk from respiratory illnesses, like they would be in December, January and February.
In a report to the city's board of health, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches said OPH expects the upcoming respiratory season to be similar to last year's, which challenged the health-care system.
Flu and RSV are expected to build in October and peak in December, while COVID is expected to keep rising into October, she said.
The unit is forecasting "significant impacts of these viruses on younger children and older adults."
Experts recommend that people wear masks, keep their hands clean, gather in well-ventilated and less-crowded spaces, stay home when sick and keep up to date with COVID and flu vaccines to help protect themselves and vulnerable people.
Health Canada has approved Moderna's updated COVID vaccine, which is more tailored to the virus strains currently circulating, for people six months of age and older.
It's now up to to the provinces and local health authorities to lay out the next steps in the rollout. Etches said OPH expects directions from the province this month.
WATCH | A Q&A on the updated vaccine:
Wastewater
Data from the research team shows that as of Sept. 10, the average coronavirus wastewater level has been stable for about a week after slowly rising for nearly two months.
OPH considers this to be high.
Hospitals
The average number of Ottawa residents in local hospitals for COVID-19 in the last week is stable at 31, with no patients in an ICU. Its 16 new patients in the previous week is low, according to OPH.
There's also a separate count that includes patients who tested positive for COVID after being admitted for other reasons, were admitted for lingering COVID complications and were transferred from other health units.
It's dropped again after rising quickly for a few weeks and is around where it was six months ago.
Tests, outbreaks, deaths and vaccines
The city's weekly average test positivity rate is about 17 per cent and has stayed within that general range for the last month. OPH considered the 20-per-cent average on Sunday, when it set its weekly levels, to be very high.
OPH says there are 27 active COVID outbreaks, also a high number and stable from last week. More than half are in care homes.
The health unit reported 211 more COVID cases in the last week and two more COVID deaths, both people age 80 and above.
The next OPH vaccination update is expected early next month.
Across the region
Spread
The Kingston area's health unit has a new dashboard that looks at COVID, flu and RSV risk levels. It says its COVID trends are moderate to low and it's not a high-risk time for transmission.
Its average coronavirus wastewater reading considered moderate and stable. Other available wastewater trends outside Ottawa are low in Cornwall and Hawkesbury and stable in Smiths Falls and Brockville.
The average COVID-19 test positivity is a stable seven per cent in Renfrew County, drops to 12 per cent in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) and drops to nine per cent in the Kingston area.
Hospitalizations and deaths
Local health authorities are increasingly reporting COVID hospitalizations in different ways.
The Kingston area's health unit says it has a low and stable 10 active COVID patients in its hospitals, including anyone living in a different health unit. A spokesperson said in an email it's not sharing intensive care information anymore because it doesn't have that data for flu and RSV.
Other Eastern Ontario health units around Ottawa — Renfrew County, the EOHU and Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties — report a stable seven combined residents in hospital for COVID treatment, with none in intensive care.
Like Ottawa, Hastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health shares a weekly average: six hospitalizations in its most recent update, which is stable. One patient is in intensive care.
Western Quebec has 14 hospital patients with COVID, up from seven last week and in line with where it started summer. None are in intensive care.
Renfrew County's health unit reported its 89th COVID death in its latest update. Quebec reported the 489th COVID death in the Outaouais.
Health authorities across eastern Ontario and western Quebec have now reported more than 2,400 COVID deaths.
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