Rising wastewater readings stick out in otherwise calm COVID picture

Recent developments:

• Ottawa's COVID-19 numbers are mostly stable or dropping.
• One exception is wastewater, where average reading are very high.
• Fourmore peoplewith COVIDhavedied in the region.

The latest

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) says the city's COVID-19 pictureis generally stableat moderate to very high levels, mostly below where they were to start the month.

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 levelhas been rising for about two weeks to its highest point since early February.

The most recent data is from March 27. OPH now considers this level to be very high.

Hospitals

The number of Ottawa residentsin local hospitals for COVID-19 is stable at 18, and has been for aboutabout six weeks.

One patient isin 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 to its lowest point of 2023.

Tests, outbreaks and deaths

Ottawa has 15 active COVID outbreaks, fewer than in earlyMarch. According to OPH, that numberis considered moderate.

The city'sCOVID-19 test positivity rate drops to around nine per cent, lower than where it started the month.

OPHreported 66more COVID cases since Tuesdayand thedeaths of threepeople who hadCOVID, all age 70 and older.

Vaccines

Twenty-sixper 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 775,000 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 in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU). They'reotherwise out of date or unavailable outside of Ottawa.

The COVID test positivity average in Renfrew County drops to about eight per cent, around where it started March.

The EOHU'sCOVID risk levelremains moderate.

Hospitalizations and deaths

Eastern Ontario communities outsideOttawa reportabout 30COVID-19 hospitalizations, with six patients 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 55hospital patients with COVID, a number that's beenbeen dropping for about a month.One of them isin intensive care.The province also reported the region's 411th COVID death in its weekly report.

Vaccines

The Kingston area's health unit says 24 per cent of its population age five and up have had a COVID vaccine in the last six months. It's also 24per 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.