Ottawa hospitalizations up as Ontario sets new record

Ottawa Public Health is reporting five new deaths from COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday as the province reports record-breaking hospitalizations.

Provincewide, more than 2,400 people are in hospital with COVID-19, breaking the previous record set in April.

In Ottawa, the health unit recorded eight more hospitalizations from COVID-19, bringing the city's total to 43. That's more than double the 21 hospitalizations at this time last week.

That number reflects people who were admitted to Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 and doesn't include people who caught it while in hospital or were transferred from another health unit.

The province also reported 43 new deaths across Ontario, but noted that 42 of those occurred over the 10 days, and one death occurred over a month ago.

ICU admissions across Ontario jumped to 338. Of those, 232 people are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status.

The number of ICU patients in Ottawa is five, two more than on Thursday.

Ottawa Public Health is also reporting 720 new cases. However, with the Ontario government limiting access to PCR testing, that number is likely far lower than the true number of cases.

The positivity rate among those who are being tested is now over 37 per cent in Ottawa.

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (Dec 30 to Jan. 5): 601.3 (down from 652.3)
• Positivity rate in Ottawa (Dec. 31 to Jan. 6): 37.7 per cent
• Reproduction number (Seven day average): 0.86
• Known active cases: 8,177 (-212)

Reproduction values greater than 1 indicate the virus is spreading and each case infects more than one contact. If it is less than 1, it means spread is slowing.

The number of known active cases is the number of confirmed cases (based on testing) minus the numbers of resolved cases and deaths. 

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

There are 43 people in Ottawa hospitals on Friday who are being treated for an active COVID-19 infection, eight more than on Thursday.

There are five people in the ICU, two more than on Thursday.

Age categories of people in hospital:

• 0-9: 1
• 10-19: 0
• 20-29: 2
• 30-39: 1
• 40-49: 7 (2 in ICU)
• 50-59: 2 (1 in ICU)
• 60-69: 8 (1 in ICU)
• 70-79: 7
• 80-89: 15 (1 in ICU)
• 90+: 0

(Ottawa Public Health is now reporting people in hospital with an "active" infection)

COVID-19 VACCINES IN OTTAWA

As of Friday:

• Ottawa residents with 1 dose (5+): 896,747 (+1,159)
• Ottawa residents with 2 doses (5+): 826,007 (+1,432)
• Ottawa residents with 3 doses (12+): 363,918 (+16,247)
• Share of population five and older with at least one dose: 90 per cent
• Share of population five and older fully vaccinated: 83 per cent

*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: 24 in hospital, 3 in ICU
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 20 in hospital, 4 in ICU
• Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 19 in hospital, 8 in ICU
• Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 17 in hospital, 4 in ICU
• Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 8 in hospital, 1 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:

• 11 long-term care homes
• 19 retirement homes
• 16 hospital units
• 15 other congregate settings (group homes, supported independent living, etc.)
• 4 elementary schools
• 2 secondary schools
• 16 daycares and/or camps

OPH paused reporting on community outbreaks in workplaces, etc. as of Jan. 2, 2022.

A full list of locations with active outbreaks is available on OPH's COVID-19 dashboard.