High levels, mixed trends in latest Ottawa COVID updates

Recent developments:

• Ottawa's COVID-19 numbers are trending in different directions.
• COVID levels in the city are generally high, says its health unit.
• Sixmore peoplewith COVIDhavedied in the region.

The latest

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) saysCOVID-19 indicators are generally high. Some, but not all of them are rising after weeks of stability.

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.

Non-COVID respiratoryvirus levels are generally low and/or seasonal.

Wastewater

Data from the research teamshows the average coronavirus wastewater levelhas been slowly rising for about 10 days to where it was at the start of the month.

The most recent data is from March 21. OPH considers this level to be high.

Hospitals

The number of patients with COVID-19 in local hospitals drops to 20. It's been in the same general range since the second half of 2022.

Two 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 is dropping.

Tests, outbreaks and deaths

Ottawa has 22active COVID outbreaks, which is stable andconsidered high by OPH.

The city'sCOVID-19 test positivity rate spent about six weeksbetween 11and 13per cent, then rose higher a week ago. It's now around14 per cent.OPH says this is now high after weeks of beingmoderate.

OPHreported 112more COVID cases since Tuesdayand thedeathof someone age 90 or abovewith COVID.

Vaccines

Twenty-eightper cent of Ottawans age five and older have had a COVID-19 vaccine dose within the last six months, as is generally recommended,with older age groups having higher rates.

That translates to about 750,000 people in that age range without the recommended vaccine protection.It does not factor inimmunity from getting COVID.

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wastewater averages are stableinKingstonand mixed across theEastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU).They'reotherwise out of date or unavailable outside of Ottawa.

The average test positivity in Renfrew County drops from 16 per cent to 13 per cent.

TheEOHU'sCOVID risk levelremains moderate.

Hospitalizations and deaths

Eastern Ontario communities outsideOttawa reportabout 25COVID-19 hospitalizations, with fourpatients in intensive care.

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

Western Quebec has 63COVID hospital patients.One of them isin intensive care. The province also reported three more COVID deaths there for a total of 410.

The EOHU reported two more COVID deaths for a total of 296.

Vaccines

The Kingston area's health unit says 26 per cent of its population age five and up have had a COVID vaccine in the last six months. It's25per 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.