Ottawa has recorded three new deaths from COVID-19 in the past four days.

While many of the key indicators of COVID-19 levels in Ottawa have declined, public health officials say levels remain high in the community. Ottawa Public Health (OPH) says the local under-five vaccination rate is among the highest in the province. Earlier this month, the province’s chief medical officer said Ontario’s seventh wave of COVID-19 had peaked. Health officials say the current wave is being driven by the BA.5 subtype of the coronavirus and is again straining a health care system already weakened by staff shortages. Two Ottawa-area hospitals had to close their emergency departments earlier this month. OPH is asking residents to limit contact and consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor areas as well as indoors, and is asking businesses to consider reinstating policies such as mandatory masks. COVID-19 Snapshot – AUGUST 11, 2022 While our indicators are indeed showing a decline, the levels of COVID-19 in our community are still high.
Please watch this week’s video and read the tweets below for more information. (1/5) pic.twitter.com/YXIYtegDep —@OttawaHealth

The latest Ottawa update

Wastewater The average level of coronavirus in Ottawa’s wastewater remains high. It rose for more than a month starting in early June, but has fallen since early August. A graph of effluent levels of coronavirus as of June 2020. (613covid.ca) Hospitals Nineteen Ottawa residents have been admitted to a city hospital with COVID-19, according to OPH’s latest update. Two of these patients are in intensive care. According to OPH, hospitalizations are moderate and declining, but they are not the only factor straining health care resources. The above hospitalization figures do not include all patients. For example, they leave out patients admitted for other reasons who later test positive for COVID-19, those admitted for prolonged complications of COVID-19, and those transferred from other health facilities. Hospitalization numbers from Ottawa Public Health were updated on August 14. (Ottawa Public Health) Tests, outbreaks and outbreaks Testing strategies changed with the Omicron variant, meaning many cases of COVID-19 are not reflected in the current numbers. Public health officials now monitor and report cases only in healthcare settings. Ottawa’s test positivity rate is around 15 percent. There are currently 45 active cases of COVID in Ottawa. These include two new cases recorded in the last four days.
OPH reported 237 additional cases and three new deaths in the past four days. A total of 862 Ottawa residents with COVID-19 have died: 381 in 2020, 229 in 2021 and 252 so far this year. Vaccines According to the most recent weekly update, 93 per cent of Ottawa residents aged five and over had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 89 per cent had at least two. 64 per cent of Ottawans aged 12 and over had at least three doses and 20 per cent had four.

Throughout the region

In Leeds, Grenville and Lanark (LGL) counties, sewage levels rose in Brockville and Kemptville for most of July, but have started to drop somewhat. They are a fixture in Smiths Falls and the Kingston area. Western Quebec reports 95 hospitalizations due to COVID. Three of these patients are in intensive care. Eastern Ontario communities outside of Ottawa are reporting 30 hospitalizations with COVID-19, including two patients in intensive care. This regional total does not include Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPE), which has a different counting method. His 20 hospitalizations are a small increase and one patient is in intensive care. Of the seven local health authorities, three had more deaths this year than in 2020 or 2021 — HPE, Kingston Region and Renfrew County. All six in eastern Ontario have more in 2022 than in 2021. Across eastern Ontario, between 81 and 92 per cent of residents aged five and over have received at least two doses of the vaccine, and between 59 and 71 per cent of adults have had at least three. The total number of vaccine doses administered to local people has exceeded 5.6 million.