COVID-19 seventh wave will peak in one-two weeks, eastern Ontario top doctor says
Eastern Ontario's top doctor expects the seventh wave of the COVID-19 pandemic to peak locally and across the province in the next one to two weeks.
The Eastern Ontario Health Unit and Ottawa Public Health are reporting an increase in COVID-19 activity in recent weeks.
In Eastern Ontario, the health unit says infection indicators are increasing, including COVID-19 test positivity rates, hospitalizations and outbreaks. On Friday, the health unit reported a positivity rate of 16 per cent, while there are 11 people in hospital due to COVID-19.
"We are currently in the seventh wave of COVID-19, along with the rest of Ontario," medical officer of health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis said in a statement. "We're watching local indicators closely and expect that the wave will peak over the next one-two weeks both locally and provincially."
Roumeliotis anticipates the seventh wave will follow the same pattern seen in other countries: a four-week increase followed by a four-week decline.
The seventh wave is being driven by the highly transmissible BA.5 Omicron variant.
Ottawa Public Health said this week that the new wave is "another reminder: the pandemic is not over." Ottawa is seeing a rise in wastewater viral signal, test positivity rate, hospital admissions and outbreaks.
Ottawa's COVID-19 positivity rate is 20 per cent, while 23 new outbreaks have been declared this week in Ottawa's long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals and other settings.
The rise in COVID-19 cases in the region comes as Ontario opens up the eligibility for the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to all residents over the age of 18.
"Protection from the two-dose vaccine series for many people is wearing off," said Dr. Roumeliotis. "Over 65 per cent of people under 50 have not yet gotten their first booster dose. This is a concern as the booster dose provides significant added protection against serious illness and hospitalization."
Correction
Ottawa Public Health says the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. CTV News Ottawa has updated the story and apologizes for the error.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.