Ottawa's COVID-19 wastewater signal shows signs of a peak, but a spike on Easter

The COVID-19 viral signal in Ottawa’s wastewater is showing signs of a peak in the latest data, but also a one-day spike on Easter Sunday.

The latest data, as of Tuesday, shows that the seven-day mean viral signal has declined since hitting a peak on April 11, though there was a small increase over the Easter weekend. The daily viral signal on Sunday set a new record for the highest one-day signal since tracking began.

Graph representing COVID-19 wastewater viral signal in Ottawa. Data last reported 2022-04-19. (613covid.ca/wastewater/)

Ottawa Public Health is reporting another increase in hospitalizations because of COVID-19.

OPH says 20 residents of Ottawa are hospitalized because of an active COVID-19 infection, up from 18 on Tuesday, with five in intensive care, up from four.

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: 61 patients
• Queensway Carleton Hospital: 14 patients
• Montfort Hospital: 18 patients
• CHEO: Three patients

Last week, local hospitals reported 77 patients between them.

One more resident of Ottawa has died after contracting COVID-19, bringing the city’s pandemic death toll to 771 residents.

OPH reported 49 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 but cautioned that the figure is lower than expected because of a "a temporary service degradation" with the province's case and contact management system. Daily case counts are generally considered undercounts because of provincially mandated limits on PCR testing.

In a thread on Twitter, OPH asked residents who gathered with friends or family over the Easter weekend to consider limiting their contacts this week in case they came into contact with COVID-19.

"You're probably thinking we've said a lot of this before. And you're right, we have. We know it gets repetitive, but there are many layers of protection & we need to use them together. The more layers we all use, the better off we’ll be," OPH said.

COVID-19 hospitalizations across Ontario are on the rise, surpassing 1,600 for the first time since mid-February. There are more than 200 Ontarians in ICU with COVID-19. The province also reported 28 new deaths, 18 of which were directly caused by COVID-19, according to provincial statistics. 

 

COVID-19 hospitalization in Ottawa in 2022
Infogram

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (April 11 to 17): 125.0 (down from 125.1) 
• Seven-day average of positivity rate in the Ottawa community, excluding long-term care homes (April 18): 19.3 per cent
• Known active cases: 1,768 (-111)

Graph representing COVID-19 wastewater viral signal in Ottawa compared with hospitalizations. Data last reported 2022-04-19. (613covid.ca/wastewater/)

COVID-19 VACCINES IN OTTAWA

Last updated April 19, 2022

• Ottawa residents with 1 dose (5+): 915,390 (+356)
• Ottawa residents with 2 doses (5+): 879,108 (+740)
• Ottawa residents with 3 doses (12+): 570,497 (+2,361)
• 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: 62 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: 15 in hospital, 1 in ICU
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 19 in hospital, 3 in ICU
• Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 10 in hospital, 3 in ICU
• Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: 10 in hospital, 5 in ICU
• Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 12 in hospital, 3 in ICU
• Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 97 in hospital, 3 in ICU

These figures are based on the latest data from each respective health unit as of Wednesday, April 20, 2022.

COVID-19 OUTBREAKS

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

• 13 long-term care homes
• 24 retirement homes
• 8 hospital units
• 20 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.