Ottawa COVID-19 hospitalizations steady amid provincewide increase

A nurse holds a swabs and test tube kit to test people for COVID-19, the disease that is caused by the new coronavirus, at a drive through station. (Paul Sancya/AP)

The number of hospitalizations from COVID-19 held steady in Ottawa on Tuesday despite a spike provincewide.

Ottawa Public Health is reporting nine residents in hospital because of an active case of COVID-19, down from 10 on Monday. No patients are in intensive care.

But across the province, there are 790 people in hospital with COVID-19, up from 655 on Monday, although not all hospitals report on weekends.

On Monday, officials reported that Ottawa's COVID-19 wastewater level had reached its highest point since the peak of the first Omicron wave in January. However, hospitalizations have so far not increased locally.

OPH figures only reflect residents who are being treated specifically because of an active case of COVID-19. Local hospitals report their own figures on patients who have tested positive.

 

COVID-19 hospitalization in Ottawa in 2022
Infogram

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

• The Ottawa Hospital: 28 patients
• Queensway Carleton Hospital: Eight patients
• Montfort Hospital: Two patients
• CHEO: Three patients

The public health unit added 91 new laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 to its total count on Tuesday. Daily case counts are considered an underrepresentation of the true amount of COVID-19 in the community in large part because of ongoing provincial restrictions on who is eligible for PCR testing.

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (March 21 to 27): 74.6 (up from 70.2)             
• Positivity rate in the Ottawa community (excluding long-term care homes) (March 21 to 27): 16.6 per cent (down from 17.7 per cent) 
• Known active cases: 995

COVID-19 VACCINES IN OTTAWA

These figures are updated every Monday.

• Ottawa residents with 1 dose (5+): 914,500 (+71)
• Ottawa residents with 2 doses (5+): 876,951 (+894)
• Ottawa residents with 3 doses (12+): 563,182 (+2,511)
• Share of population five and older with at least one dose: 92 per cent 
• Share of population five and older fully vaccinated: 88 per cent
• Share of population 12 and older with at least three doses: 62 per cent (+1)

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

AROUND THE REGION

• Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 8 in hospital, 0 in ICU
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 16 in hospital, 2 in ICU
• Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 9 in hospital, 4 in ICU 
• Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: 17 in hospital, 4 in ICU
• Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 12 in hospital, 0 in ICU
• Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 9 in hospital, 2 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:

• 3 long-term care homes
• 5 retirement homes
• 4 hospital units
• 7 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.