Ottawa Public Health reporting a rise in COVID-19 levels in the community

People shop in The Glebe neighbourhood of Ottawa on Friday, June 24, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The city of Ottawa is seeing a slight increase in COVID-19 related hospitalizations, as the health unit warns of a rise in COVID-19 levels in the community.

Ottawa Public Health is reporting six Ottawa residents in hospital with an active COVID-19 infection on Friday, up from five on Tuesday. There is currently no one in the ICU with an active COVID-19 infection.

"Our indicators are showing a rise in the levels of COVID-19 in the community. We are entering a new wave, and it remains important to use our layers of protection," OPH said on Twitter Thursday.

"It's important to remember that our layers (incl. getting vaccinated, wearing a mask & staying home when sick) help reduce your risk of serious illness, AND they help slow the spread of COVID in the community."

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: 23 patients
• Queensway Carleton Hospital: Four patients
• Montfort Hospital: Five patients
• CHEO: Two patients

There has been one new death linked to COVID-19 in Ottawa this week.

Ottawa Public Health is reporting 195 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa since Tuesday. Case counts are considered an underrepresentation of the true amount of COVID-19 in the community due to provincial restrictions on who can access a PCR test.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa in March 2020, there have been 74,641 laboratory-confirmed cases, including 818 deaths.

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (June 16 to 22): 32.1 
• Seven-day average of positivity rate in the Ottawa community, excluding long-term care homes (June 15): 8.7 per cent
• Known active cases: 476 (+25)

COVID-19 VACCINES IN OTTAWA

Updated June 20.

• Ottawa residents with 1 dose (5+): 917,832
• Ottawa residents with 2 doses (5+): 883,284
• Ottawa residents with 3 doses (12+): 580,600
• Share of population five and older with at least one dose: 92 per cent
• Share of population five and older fully vaccinated: 89 per cent
• Share of population 12 and older with at least three doses: 64 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: 3 in hospital, 0 in ICU
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 3 in hospital, 0 in ICU
• Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 8 in hospital, 0 in ICU (only updated on Tuesdays)
• Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: 1 in hospital, 1 in ICU
• Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 6 in hospital, 0 in ICU
• Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 42 in hospital, 0 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 (as of Friday, June 17):

• 6 long-term care homes
• 6 retirement homes
• 2 hospital units
• 2 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.