Ottawa COVID-19 wastewater indicators on the rise

People walk past a vaccine clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mississauga, Ont., on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Ottawa's COVID-19 wastewater surveillance numbers are on the rise again, a strong indicator that the virus's spread in the community is increasing.

The wastewater seven-day rolling signal is still lower than it was earlier this month, but it has steadily increased in the past week.

Ottawa Public Health is reporting one new death from the virus on Tuesday, along with 273 new lab-confirmed cases since Friday.

In last week's COVID-19 snapshot, the health unit said its monitoring indicators continued to show that levels of COVID-19 in the community are high.

There are 50 Ottawa residents in hospital with COVID-19, up from 47 on Friday.

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: 83 patients (unchanged from Friday)
• Queensway Carleton Hospital: 27 patients (down from 37 on Friday)
• Montfort Hospital: 13 patients (down from 18 on Friday)
• CHEO: Seven patients (up from four on Friday)

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (Oct. 24-30): 65.2
• Seven-day average of positivity rate in the Ottawa community, including long-term care: 18.7 per cent
• Known active cases: 894

COVID-19 VACCINES IN OTTAWA

Updated Oct. 24

• Ottawa residents with 1 dose (5+): 922,855
• Ottawa residents with 2 doses (5+): 890,382
• Ottawa residents with 3 doses (5+): 604,527
• Ottawa residents with 4 doses (12+): 264,232
• 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: 61 per cent
• Share of population 12 and older with at least four doses: 29 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: 14 in hospital, 4 in ICU
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 23 in hospital, 0 in ICU  (Updated on Tuesdays only)
• Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 26 in hospital, 5 in ICU (Updated on Tuesdays only)
• Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: 16 in hospital, 2 in ICU (Updated on Tuesdays)
• Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 12 in hospital, 1 in ICU (Updated on Thursdays)
• Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 100 in hospital, 4 in ICU

COVID-19 OUTBREAKS

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

• 11 in hospitals
• 10 in long-term care homes
• 25 in retirement homes
• 3 in shelters
• 2 in supported independent living homes
• 2 in group homes
• 1 in community living facility
• 1 in correctional facility

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.