COVID-19 hospitalizations higher than last December, MOH warns
Ottawa's medical officer of health is warning that COVID-19 levels in the community are high and the number of people in hospital because of the disease is higher than it was at this time last year.
In her verbal report to the Board of Health on Monday, Dr. Vera Etches said there is a lot of COVID-19 in the community.
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
- Sign up now for our nightly CTV News Ottawa newsletter
"Today, we see the wastewater levels of COVID-19 are higher than this time last year and hospitalizations are higher than they were at this time last year," she said.
Data from the Ottawa COVID-19 wastewater surveillance site shows a higher wastewater signal on Nov. 30, 2023 compared to its level on Nov. 30, 2022—the latest data available. OPH's COVID-19 dashboard says the seven-day average for patients in hospital because of COVID-19 was 79 for the week of Nov. 21-27. The average number of hospitalizations for that same period last year was 27, according to data from Open Ottawa.
Etches says older adults remain the most vulnerable population when it comes to COVID-19.
"We are continuing to see the highest rates of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 in older adults—people over 60 and especially over age 80," she said. "A significant number of older adults' immunity against COVID-19 is waning since they've not been infected by the virus and their last vaccine dose was more than six months to a year ago, so many older adults remain at risk."
Etches' comments come as Ottawa Public Health plans to wind down its COVID-19 response, which will include cutting hundreds of temporary workers who were hired during the height of the pandemic. This is mostly due to financial reasons, as the Ontario government is no longer covering extraordinary costs related to COVID-19, but Etches said a decreasing demand for vaccines also means OPH no longer needs additional staff.
"The largest number of that expanded workforce were focused on immunization and we've seen the demand for COVID-19 vaccination has come down, and so we're able to meet that demand in the community now," Etches said Monday.
She encouraged residents, especially older residents, to receive their COVID-19 and flu vaccines this year.
"There is no shortage of updated COVID-19 vaccine, no shortage of influenza vaccines," she said. "The time, if you're over age 60, to protect yourself ahead of the holiday gatherings is now."
COVID-19 and flu vaccines are available through health-care providers, participating pharmacies, and through public health clinics for those eligible.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to start evacuating from the area, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.