COVID-19 hospitalizations increase in Ottawa

An ambulance approaches the Ottawa Hospital in this undated file image. (CTV News Ottawa)

The city of Ottawa is seeing an increase in the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 related illnesses.

Ottawa Public Health reported 17 people in Ottawa area hospitals with an active COVID-19 infection on Thursday, up from 11 on Tuesday. There is one person in the ICU with an active infection.

OPH hospitalization figures only represent Ottawa residents who are in hospital because of an active case of COVID-19. Local hospitals report higher figures, which include patients who were admitted for reasons other than COVID-19 but have tested positive and patients who are not from Ottawa.

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

• The Ottawa Hospital: 53 patients
• Queensway Carleton Hospital: Seven patients
• Montfort Hospital: 13 patients
• CHEO: Four patients

OPH reported 42 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. Daily case counts are considered an underrepresentation of the true amount of COVID-19 in the community due to provincial restrictions on who can access a PCR test.

No new deaths were reported across Ottawa.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa in March 2020, there have been 73,272 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 804 deaths.

Public Health Ontario is reporting a decrease in the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations across the province. There are 1,005 hospitalizations and 154 ICU admissions linked to COVID-19 in Ontario, down from 1,082 hospitalizations on Wednesday.

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (May 18 to 24): 29.6 (down from 36.0)   
• Seven-day average of positivity rate in the Ottawa community, excluding long-term care homes (May 24): 8.2 per cent
• Known active cases: 468 (-81)

COVID-19 VACCINES IN OTTAWA

Updated May 16.

• Ottawa residents with 1 dose (5+): 916,525 
• Ottawa residents with 2 doses (5+): 880,837 
• Ottawa residents with 3 doses (12+): 576,065 
• Share of population five and older with at least one dose: 92 per cent
• Share of population five and older fully vaccinated: 89 per cent
• Share of population 12 and older with at least three doses: 63 per cent

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

AROUND THE REGION

• Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 7 in hospital, 0 in ICU
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 21 in hospital, 1 in ICU
• Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 21 in hospital, 1 in ICU
• Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: 7 in hospital, 1 in ICU
• Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 9 in hospital, 0 in ICU
• Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 56 in hospital, 1 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:

• 6 long-term care homes
• 4 retirement homes
• 7 hospital units
• 2 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.