What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday, Jan. 6

Recent developments:.

• Hospitals are facingsevere staffing shortages.
• Quebec's vaccine passport willeventually require 3 doses.
• It will be requiredfor provincialliquor and cannabis stores as of Jan. 18.
• Ottawa targets priority groups with new vaccination options.
• Four more people with COVID-19 die in the area, including a woman in her 20s.
• Ontariohealth officials plan to give an afternoon rapid test update.

Hospitals in Ottawa are scrambling to meet staffing needs as hundreds of nurses in the city test positive for COVID-19, while nursing unions in Ontario pleadwith the provincial government to help. The Hawkesburyhospital isconsidering overnight emergency room closures.

Quebec's health minister saysQuebecers will need to show proof that they are adequately vaccinated in order to enterSocit des alcools du Qubec(SAQ) andSocit qubcoise du cannabis(SQDC) stores as of Jan. 18 and eventually, people will need three vaccine doses to be considered fully vaccinated.

Its residents age 45 to 49 can now register for a third dose as of tomorrow.

Ottawa Public Health is now allowing people considered to be in a priority group such as people over age 60, education,child-care and care home workers and pregnant people to sign up to get notified when same-day vaccine appointments open.

• Ontario trying to speed up booster shots for education workers

A dedicated third vaccine dose clinic for people over 60will run at the Nepean Sportsplex today through Sunday.

There are currently 35 Ottawa residents in local hospitals for treatment of active COVID-19, according to Ottawa Public Health (OPH), three more than in Wednesday's update. Three people with COVID-19 are in an ICU, one fewer than the last update.

OPH reported the death of a woman in her 20s who had COVID, one of the city's youngest pandemic victims. Two more Hastings Prince Edwardresidents with COVID-19 have died and one more has in Renfrew County.

Ontario officials areexpected to give a rapid COVID-19 test update this afternoon.

Numbers to watch

Testing can't meetdemand during the Omicron surge, meaningpeople with COVID-19won't be reflected in the case count. Numbers such as hospitalizations, test positivity and wastewater monitoringcan help fill in some of the grey areas.

The number ofOttawa residents admitted tohospital for COVID treatmenthasbeen risingsince around Christmas. Test positivity has been going up since the last week of November and the levels of coronavirus in its wastewater have been generally rising for about four weeks.

As of Thursday,Ottawa has had 47,687 confirmedcases ofCOVID-19. There are 8,389known active caseswhich may actually be three to 10 times higher38,672cases are consideredresolved and 626people have died from the illness.

Local public health officials have reported more than100,000COVID-19 cases across eastern Ontario and western Quebec, including more than75,000cases now resolved.

More than 150 localpatientsare in the area's hospitals for COVID-19 treatment, which has been steadily rising this week. Twenty-sixare in an ICU, which is more stable.

In eastern Ontario outside of Ottawa, 260people with COVID-19 have died. In western Quebec, the death toll is 224.

Akwesasnehas had more than 1,500 residents test positive forCOVID-19and has reported18deathsbetween its northern and southern sections.

Tyendinaga Mohawk Territoryhad 90confirmed casesand one death.Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeghashad 52 confirmedandone death.Pikwkanagn has 48 confirmed cases, all in this current wave.

What are the rules?

Eastern Ontario:

The province's private gathering limitsarefive people indoors and 10outsideuntil at least Jan. 26.

Indoor dining,gyms and museums are also closed, while other businesses and religious services canreach50 per cent capacity.

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Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson says theres some cautious optimism as COVID-19 case numbers stabilize in the city, though the accuracy of those numbers is being called into question as test capacity is strained.

Local officials can also change rulesand that's happened in places such as Ottawafor masks, theKingston areafor personal care businesses, Akwesasnefor schoolsand Pikwkanagnfor businesses.

WATCH |Kingston mayor cautiously optimisticits worst of this wave is over:

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Dr. Michael Cheng, a child and family psychiatrist at CHEO, says setting a schedule and doing activities as a family can go a long way in keeping kids and their parents mentally healthy during another lockdown.

The province'svaccine passportisrequired for people age 12 and up in many public places.

People can prove they have at least two doses with a paper or digital document. Thesedocuments have to have a QR codeand medical exemptions have to have one by Monday.

Western Quebec

Indoor gatherings involving more than one household bubble areprohibited. Peopleoutside between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. without a valid reason mayface fines.

Restaurant dining rooms are closed, as well as places of worshipexceptfor small funerals. Indoor sports have also been cancelled.

All schools areclosed to in-person learning until Jan. 17.

A vaccine passportis in place for most people age 13 and up in many publicspaces. As of Jan. 18, that includes provincially run liquor and cannabis stores.People can use an app or show paper proof they have at least two doses; its health minister said in early January they'll eventually have to have three.

What can I do?

Prevention

COVID-19primarily spreads through droplets thatcan hang in the air. People can be contagious without symptoms, even after getting a vaccine.

Current evidence suggests the dominant Omicron variant is more contagious than other types of the novel coronavirus, but generally less deadly for vaccinated people without underlying conditions.

• Why COVID-19 hospitalizations of Canadian kidscould keep rising
• Babies admitted to hospital with COVID-19 had unvaccinated mothers, CHEO says

That level of spread putsvulnerable people at risk and is making staffing a challenge in many sectors, delaying many more medical procedures.

Health officials say underOmicron, people should recommit to the fundamentals of getting vaccinated, staying homewhen sick andseeing as few people in person as possible.

Masks, preferably medicalones, aremandatory in indoor public settingsin Ontarioand for people in Quebec age 10 and up. They're generallyrecommended in crowded outdoor areas.

Ontarioand Quebec allow some people to self-isolate for just five days under certain circumstances.

• Essential services across Canada hit by staff shortages due to COVID-19

Health Canada recommends older adults and people with underlying medical conditionsgethelp with errands and have supplies in case they need to isolate.

Mental healthcan also beaffected by the pandemic,andresources are available to help.

WATCH | How to help kids' mental health amid another round of remote learning:

Travel

Travellers olderthan 12 years and four months must nowbe fully vaccinatedto board a plane, train or marine vessel in Canada.

The federal government is officially advising against non-essential international travel.

People have to befully vaccinated,pre-approvedand test negativeto enterCanada.

The U.S.requireseveryone crossing aland, air or water border to be fully vaccinated. People flying there will need proof of a negative COVID test within a dayof departure.

The hope is that other countries will acceptprovincial or territorial proof of vaccination.

Vaccines

Vaccines curb thespreadof all variants of COVID-19 and go a long way toward avoiding deaths and hospitalizations,without offering total protection.

Four COVID-19 vaccines havebeen deemed safe and approvedin Canada, with some age restrictions.

Health Canada hasapproved Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine for children as young asfive. Both local provinces generally recommend doses for kids age five to 11 be given at least eight weeks apart, with limited exceptions.

Everyone 18 and older in Ontario can now try tobook thirdshots, though local resources don't always meet demand, after 84 days have passed since their second dose. Fourth doses are being offered to older people in care homes starting 84 days after their third.

People who are 50and older can receive a third dose in Quebec, along with those who have certainhealth conditions. That is expanding in stages by age until Jan. 17, with the next coming tomorrow to age 45.

There have been more than 4.5million COVID-19 first, second and third vaccine doses administered in the wider Ottawa-Gatineau region,which has about 2.3 million residents.

Eastern Ontario

Eligible people canlook for provincialappointments onlineor over the phone at 1-833-943-3900.

Local health units have some flexibility,so check their websitesfor details. Many offer child-only clinics and some are offering limited walk-in vaccinations again.

Pharmacies and some family doctorsoffer vaccines through their own booking systems.

Western Quebec

The eligible can get an appointmentor visitapermanent ormobile walk-in clinic.

Clinics for childrenare in schools andkids will need written consent from a parent to be vaccinated there.

Symptoms and testing

COVID-19can range from a cold-like illnessto a severe lung infection, with common symptoms including fever, a cough,headache, vomitingand loss of taste or smell.

• How you cantreat yourself at home if you get COVID-19

"Long-haul" symptoms can last for months.

If you have severe symptoms, call 911.

In eastern Ontario:

Onlyhigh-risk individuals who are symptomatic or who are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19 can get a laboratory-checkedPCR test during the Omicron-fuelled demand, while others should assume they have COVID if they have symptoms and isolate.

Qualified people can check with their health unit for clinic locations and hours.

Rapid and take-home testsare available in select malls, libraries and LCBOs,Kingston-area family doctor offices,andsome child-care settings when risk is high.

Travellers who need a testhavelocal options to pay for one.

In western Quebec:

This province has also stopped givingPCR tests to the general public.

PCR tests will be reserved for those in high-risk settings such as hospitals, long-term care homes, detention centres and homeless shelters.

Rapid COVID-19 tests are available in all Quebec daycares,preschools and elementary schools, as well asthrough pharmaciesfor the general population.

First Nations, Inuit and Mtis:

First Nations, Inuit and Mtispeople, or someone travelling to work in a remote Indigenous community, are eligible for a test in Ontario.

Akwesasne has COVID-19 test andvaccine clinics, with information online or at613-575-2341. Residents can call that number to log a rapid test result. TheneighbouringSaint Regis Mohawk Tribe is also offering tests.

People in Kitigan ZibiAnishinabeg can call the health centre at 819-449-5593 for a test or vaccine; email is another option for vaccine booking.

People inPikwkanagncan call a COVID-19 hotline at 613-401-0428for updates on its changing response now that it hasits first confirmed cases. It's offering PCR tests four mornings a week.

Anyone inTyendinagawho's interested in a test or wants to log a positive rapid test result can call 613-967-3603 and should watch the website fordedicated vaccine clinics.

Inuit in Ottawa can call the Akausivik Inuit Family Health Team at 613-740-0999 for service, including testing andvaccines, in Inuktitut or English on weekdays.

Ottawa's dedicated vaccine clinic for Indigenous peopleends Jan. 15.