'Concerning' resurgence of COVID-19 in Ottawa, public health unit warns

Ottawa Public Health is sounding the alarm about "concerning" levels of COVID-19 in the city.

Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches said in a special statement Wednesday the health unit has informed the office of Ontario’s chief medical officer of health about the rising levels of the virus in Ottawa’s wastewater and high test positivity rate.

Appearing on CTV News at Six, Etches pointed out that this current trend is different from the wave we saw in January.

"We have had a lot of people grow their immunity through infection, unfortunately, and through vaccination. The third booster dose is what we really want people to pay attention to, to get through this resurgence without having to go to hospital," she said.

OPH is reaching out directly to people over 50 who are eligible for another vaccine dose.

"Now is the time. Come out, drop in, or book an appointment to have that third dose."

She noted there's been a "significant slowdown" in the number of people coming in for their booster.

"It may have just felt like, 'Oh, things are fine now. Made it through Omicron,'" she said. "But even if you think you had Omicron, the vaccine is still recommended. It can add protection. And we have evidence now. When we look back at what happened in December and January, people with a third dose were less likely to be hospitalized. That's the same now."

Hospitalizations and outbreaks remain stable in Ottawa, but Etches noted those can be lagging indicators of COVID-19 spread.

 

COVID-19 hospitalization in Ottawa in 2022
Infogram

"We highly recommend Ottawa residents to get vaccinated with all the doses of the COVID-19 vaccine that you are eligible for as soon as possible," Etches said in her special statement. That could include a fourth dose in some cases.

Ottawa Public Health is also urging people to continue wearing masks indoors, despite Ontario lifting its mask mandate in most places earlier this month.

"We also highly recommend individuals to continue wearing a mask indoors especially when physical distancing may not be possible or proves to be challenging in crowded areas," Etches said.

She also encouraged people who are feeling unwell to reach out to their doctor to see if they are eligible for anti-viral treatment.

"If you have symptoms and you're at higher risk for illness, you might be able to access an anti-viral treatment," Etches told CTV News Ottawa's Patricia Boal. "That needs to be done quickly. These are messages that are important as we see the levels rising."

Late last week, Ottawa’s COVID-19 wastewater indicator reached its highest level since the January wave of the Omicron variant.

Ottawa Public Health reported eight people in hospital on Wednesday due to an active case of COVID-19.

OPH figures only reflect residents who are being treated specifically because of an active case of COVID-19. Local hospitals report their own figures on patients who have tested positive.

Here is a look at how many COVID-19 patients are in each hospital:

• The Ottawa Hospital: 28 patients
• Queensway Carleton Hospital: 11 patients
• Montfort Hospital: Two patients
• CHEO: Three patients

The public health unit added 172 new laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 to its total count on Wednesday. Daily case counts are considered an underrepresentation of the true amount of COVID-19 in the community in large part because of ongoing provincial restrictions on who is eligible for PCR testing.

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (March 22 to 28): 78.1 (up from 74,6)             
• Positivity rate in the Ottawa community (excluding long-term care homes) (March 23 to 29): 17.3 per cent (up from 16.6 per cent) 
• Known active cases: 1,057

COVID-19 VACCINES IN OTTAWA

These figures are updated every Monday.

• Ottawa residents with 1 dose (5+): 914,500 (+71)
• Ottawa residents with 2 doses (5+): 876,951 (+894)
• Ottawa residents with 3 doses (12+): 563,182 (+2,511)
• Share of population five and older with at least one dose: 92 per cent 
• Share of population five and older fully vaccinated: 88 per cent
• Share of population 12 and older with at least three doses: 62 per cent (+1)

*Statistics on Ottawa residents with one or two doses include anyone with an Ottawa postal code who was vaccinated anywhere in Ontario.

AROUND THE REGION

• Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 9 in hospital, 0 in ICU
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 17 in hospital, 2 in ICU
• Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 9 in hospital, 4 in ICU 
• Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: 17 in hospital, 5 in ICU
• Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 12 in hospital, 0 in ICU
• Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 10 in hospital, 2 in ICU 

These figures are based on the latest data from each respective health unit at the time of publishing.

COVID-19 OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is currently reporting active outbreaks in the following locations:

• 3 long-term care homes
• 4 retirement homes
• 5 hospital units
• 9 other congregate settings (group homes, supported independent living, etc.)

OPH no longer reports outbreaks in schools and childcare settings nor community outbreaks, such as those linked to local businesses, religious institutions, or sports and recreation activities.

A full list of locations with active outbreaks is available on OPH's COVID-19 dashboard.