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

Recent developments:

• Ottawa's COVID-19 numbers are mixed.
• Threemore 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, theCOVID test positivity average is rising for the first time this spring.

Generally, COVID indicators have remained stable or have droppedfor aboutthree months. Increases have not risen tolevels Ottawa Public Health (OPH) sees as concerning.

Expertsrecommendpeople wear masks indoorsand, in Ontario, in the daysafter having COVID symptoms. Staying home when sickandstaying up to date with COVIDvaccinescan alsohelp protect vulnerable people.

Wastewater

Data from the research teamshows the average coronavirus wastewater levelwas slowly rising for about a month, but that has started to change.

As of April 18, the level has dropped fourof the previous sixdays.OPHconsiders this level to be very high.

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

Hospitals

The number of Ottawa residentsin local hospitals for COVID-19 hasbeen generally stable around 20 for about two months. It droppedto 10 in Friday's update, with oneICU patient.

That's its lowest level since June 2022.

A separate countthat includespatientswho testedpositive for COVIDafter being admitted for other reasons, those admitted for lingering COVIDcomplications, and thosetransferred from other health units is stable.

Tests, outbreaks and deaths

Ottawahas a stable 11 active COVID outbreaks, all but one happeningin a care home. According to OPH, that numberis considered high.

After a drop to end winter, the city'sCOVID-19 test positivity rate has stayed around eight or nineper 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.

OPHreported 82more COVID cases since Tuesday and thedeaths of two people who hadCOVID, one in their 60s and one age 90 or above.

Vaccines

Twenty-oneper 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. Thisdoes not factor inimmunity from getting COVID.

Ontario's vaccine recommendations changed earlier this monthto focus onhigher-risk people.

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

Across the region

Spread

TheEastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU)'sCOVID-19 risk levelislow.

Coronavirus wastewater averages are stable in Kingston.They'reotherwise 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 outsideOttawa report20COVID-19 hospitalizations, withfourpatients in intensive care.

That regional countdoesn'tincludeHastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health,whichshares a weekly average of itslocal hospitalization count. It's around six patients.

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

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

Vaccines

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

Across eastern Ontario, between 79 and90 per cent of residents age five and up have received at least two COVID-19 vaccine doses, and between 52 and65 per cent of those residentshave hadat leastthree, according to the province.