No new COVID-19 deaths in Ottawa but signs wastewater signal is rising

A discarded mask litters the street. (Photo by Elizabeth McDaniel on Unsplash)

No new COVID-19 deaths were reported in Ottawa over the weekend, according to Ottawa Public Health, but there are early signs the viral signal in the wastewater is on the rise.

OPH reported 219 new lab-confirmed cases in its update on Tuesday and an increase in hospitalizations since the last update on Friday.

There are 30 residents in hospital because of an active infection of COVID-19, up from 25 reported on Friday. ICU admissions remain stable with three people 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.

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

• The Ottawa Hospital: 72 patients (up from 66 patients on Sept. 16)
• Queensway Carleton Hospital: 21 patients (up from 16 patients on Sept. 16)
• Montfort Hospital: 20 patients (up from 19 patients on Sept. 16)
• CHEO: Four patients (up from three patients on Sept. 16)

The COVID-19 wastewater monitoring project’s latest data show a slow but steady trend upwards since the end of August in the mean viral signal.

Since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Ottawa in March 2020, OPH has reported 81,835 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 885 deaths.

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (Sept. 12-18): 43.8 (up from 37.9) 
• Seven-day average of positivity rate in the Ottawa community, including long-term care: 12.2 per cent
• Known active cases: 632 (+70)

COVID-19 VACCINES IN OTTAWA

Updated Sept. 19

• Ottawa residents with 1 dose (5+): 921,786
• Ottawa residents with 2 doses (5+): 889,825
• Ottawa residents with 3 doses (5+): 598,381
• Ottawa residents with 4 doses (12+): 207,368
• 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: 60 per cent
• Share of population 12 and older with at least four doses: 23 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: 11 in hospital, 1 in ICU
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 33 in hospital, 4 in ICU  (Updated on Tuesdays only)
• Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 13 in hospital, 3 in ICU (Updated on Tuesdays only)
• Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: 13 in hospital, 2 in ICU (Updated on Wednesdays)
• Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 4 in hospital, 0 in ICU (Updated on Thursdays)
• Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 76 in hospital, 2 in ICU

COVID-19 OUTBREAKS

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

• 1 in group homes
• 5 in hospitals
• 7 in long-term care homes
• 11 in retirement homes

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 outbreak dashboard.