COVID-19 wastewater signal in Ottawa at highest level since summer
Wastewater monitoring of the main three respiratory viruses affecting the health-care system show a rise in COVID-19, a decline in influenza, and a steady rate of RSV in Ottawa.
The COVID-19 viral signal has been on a steady increase since Christmas and the latest data show the level of COVID-19 in the community is the highest it has been since last summer.
Influenza levels also spiked after Christmas but have been on a downward trend since New Year’s.
The levels of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) also climbed in the week after Christmas but dipped slightly after New Year’s and have since been holding steady.
Ottawa Public Health reported four new COVID-19 deaths and an increase to the positivity rate in its twice-weekly dashboard update on Tuesday.
Hospitalizations have declined slightly in the last week from 36 patients on Jan. 2 to 34 on Jan. 9 who were in hospital for an active infection. One person is in intensive care.
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.
- The Ottawa Hospital: 50 patients
- Queensway Carleton Hospital: 17 patients
- Montfort Hospital: 9 patients (As of Tuesday, Jan. 10)
- CHEO: 5 patients
Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa in March 2020, there have been 88,356 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 994 deaths. There were 376 COVID-19 deaths reported in 2022, compared to 228 in 2021 and 381 in 2020.
OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (Jan. 2 to 8): 38.7
- Seven-day average of positivity rate in the Ottawa community, including long-term care: 19.3 per cent
- Known active cases: 581
COVID-19 VACCINES IN OTTAWA
Updated Jan. 9
- Ottawa residents with 1 dose (5+): 925,074
- Ottawa residents with 2 doses (5+): 891,658
- Ottawa residents with 3 doses (5+): 614,438
- Ottawa residents with 4 doses (12+): 329,890
- Share of population five and older with at least one dose: 93 per cent
- Share of population five and older with at least two doses: 90 per cent
- Share of population five and older with at least three doses: 62 per cent
- Share of population 12 and older with at least four doses: 36 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, 2 in ICU (as of Jan. 10)
- Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 10 in hospital, 0 in ICU (As of Jan. 10)
- Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 25 in hospital, 2 in ICU (As of Jan. 10)
- Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: 10 in hospital, 3 in ICU (As of Jan. 9)
- Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 3 in hospital, 0 in ICU (Updated on Thursdays)
- Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 98 in hospital, 1 in ICU (As of Jan. 5)
COVID-19 OUTBREAKS
Ottawa Public Health is currently reporting active outbreaks in the following locations
- 5 in hospitals
- 8 in long-term care homes
- 16 in retirement homes
- 1 in congregate care facilities
- 1 in a shelter
- 1 in a group home
INFLUENZA OUTBREAKS
- 1 in a retirement home
- 1 in a hospital
OTHER ONGOING RESPIRATORY OUTBREAKS
- 2 in long-term care homes
- 1 in a school
A full list of locations with active outbreaks is available on OPH's outbreak dashboard.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
ANALYSIS Will Donald Trump go to prison? What the precedent says
Now that the jury in Donald Trump's criminal trial has made the historic decision to convict him, the judge overseeing the case will soon face a monumental choice: whether to sentence the 2024 Republican presidential candidate to time behind bars.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
Reactions pour in to Donald Trump's first-ever felony conviction for a former U.S. president
After hours of deliberations, a jury of Donald Trump's New York City peers convicted him on 34 counts, making him the first the former U.S. president in history with a felony conviction.
Can Trump come to Canada now that he's a convicted felon?
A Canadian immigration lawyer says now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, he is technically barred from crossing the border into Canada.
Montreal tech billionaire charged with several sex offences
Robert Miller was charged Thursday with several sexual assault charges after Montreal police reopened an investigation into the tech billionaire.
Liberal government's own polling said Canadians worried about drug decriminalization
Months before British Columbia sought to scale back its drug decriminalization pilot project, the federal government's own polling suggested to officials that a majority of Canadians believed the policy would lead to an increase in overdoses.
Loblaw testing out small-format No Frills grocery stores
Loblaw is testing smaller-format discount stores across the country this year as shoppers increasingly look for ways to save on their grocery bill.
Doomsday plot: Jury convicts Idaho man of killing wife and girlfriend's 2 children
An Idaho man was convicted Thursday of killing his wife and his new girlfriend's two youngest kids in a strange triple murder case that included claims of apocalyptic prophesies, zombie children and illicit affairs.