COVID numbers remain stable in Ottawa

Recent developments:

• Ottawa's COVID-19 trends are stable.
• The EOHU's COVID risk levelremains moderate.
• Eight more peoplewith COVID have died in the region.

The latest

After a concerning rise in trends around the end of 2022, Ottawa Public Health (OPH)'s tone started being more encouraging around the middle of January.

The situation has generally been alright since, with any increasing indicators balanced off by a drop or plateau.

OPH currently saysCOVID-19 indicators remain generally stableat moderate to very high levels.

Expertsstrongly recommendpeople wear masks indoorsand, in Ontario, in the daysafter having COVID symptoms. Staying home when sickandstaying up to date with COVID and flu vaccinescan alsohelp protect vulnerable people.

Non-COVID respiratoryvirus levels are generally low and seasonal.

Wastewater

Data from the research teamshows the average coronavirus wastewater level is stable as of the most recent data on March 2.

OPH considers this level to be very high.

Hospitals

The number of patients with COVID-19 in local hospitals remains relatively stable at 18. That's below where that number was for most of the second half of2022.

None of those patients are in intensive care.

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

Tests, outbreaks and deaths

Ottawa has 21 active COVID outbreaks, a number that has levelledoff for two weeks after rising for two weeks.That's considered moderate.

The city'sCOVID-19 test positivity rate has remained stable ataround 11 or 12 per cent since the start of February, which OPH also calls moderate.

OPH has reported 92more COVID cases since Friday and the death of someone in their 70s who had COVID.

So far,1,022Ottawa residents have died with COVID as a contributing or underlying factor. Thirty of those people have died this year.

Vaccines

Twenty-nineper cent of Ottawans age five and older have had a COVID vaccine dose within the last six months, as is generally recommended,with older age groups having higher rates.

That translates to about 740,000 people in that age range without the recommended vaccine protection.It does not factor inimmunity from getting COVID.

Ottawa residents received 1,070 COVID vaccine doses in the last week, mostly fourth doses and second doses for children under five years old.

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

Coronavirus wastewater averages are stableinKingstonand across Leeds, Grenville and Lanark (LGL) counties.

Averages in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit(EOHU) are also stable except for a rise in Hawkesbury.They'reotherwise out of date or unavailable outside of Ottawa.

The Kingston area's average COVID test positivity is stable around 12 per cent.

TheEOHU'sCOVID risk levelremains moderate.

Hospitalizations and deaths

Eastern Ontario communities outsideOttawa report about 25COVID-19 hospitalizations, with sixpatients in intensive care.

That regional countdoesn'tincludeHastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health,which has a different counting method. Its local hospitalization count has been stable.

Western Quebec has 83 COVID hospital patients, which is stable. None of them arein intensive care.

LGL reported three more COVID deaths in its weekly update, bringing its total to 154. The EOHU also reported three more of these deaths for a total of 293. The Kingston area reported its 115th COVID death.

Vaccines

The Kingston area's health unit says 30 per cent of its population age five and up have had a COVID vaccine in the last six months. It's26 per cent in HPE and 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.