OPH gives holiday advice amid resurgent levels of respiratory illness

Recent developments:

• There's a high level of respiratory illness in Ottawa.
• Flu and RSV levels are very high and risingin its wastewater.
• Ottawa's COVID-19 trends arerising.
• Its public health unit says to get vaccinated in time for the holidays.

The latest guidance

Ottawa Public Health (OPH)'s weekly snapshotsays the overall level of respiratory illness in the city remains high.

OPH pointsoutthe coming days are the last chance for people to get vaccinated against flu and COVID-19 in time for it to take effect for the holidays. Also, staying home from gatherings when sick is the best way to show others you care about them.

Local officialssay the health-care system, particularly for children, is under a lot of pressure.The flu season is worse and started earlier than normal, plus there are thecontinued challenges ofCOVIDandrespiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Along with the above advice, wearing masks indoorsand keeping hands and surfaces cleanare also recommendedto help keep people safe, especially more vulnerable people including children.

Quebec's public health director said this weekpeople with babies should think about whether large holiday gatherings are worth the risk.

Wastewater

Data from the research teamsays the weekly average level of coronavirus in Ottawa's wastewater, as of Dec. 6, has been rising since the last week of Novemberback to roughly around where it was a month ago.

OPH considers this to be a moderate measure, but cautions people that it's rising. The flu and RSV levels in wastewater are very high and rising.

Wastewater researchers say they have a better test for the BQ Omicron subvariantand they're finding more of itas the total signal rises.

Hospitals

OPH's count of active, local COVID-19 hospital patients rises to 24, according to Friday's update, with threepatientsin intensive care.

The health unit says the number of COVID hospital admissions is moderate.

There is another count that includesotherpatients, such as peopleadmitted for other reasons who then test positive for COVID, those admitted for lingering COVIDcomplications, and thosetransferred from other health units.

That number is also rising.

Tests, outbreaks and deaths

Testing strategieschangedunderthe Omicron variant, meaning manyCOVID-19 casesaren't reflected incounts. Public health officials now only trackand reportoutbreaksin health-care settings.

Ottawa's COVID test positivity rate is up slightly to about 12per cent after a steady decline.OPHconsiders itmoderate.

There are 25 active COVID outbreaks in Ottawa, six more than Tuesday. This is back to a moderate level, according to OPH.

The health unit also reports twoflu outbreaks, while the number of "other" respiratory illnessoutbreaks nearly allin child-care settings are slightly down at 32. Three of these other outbreaks in schools have more than 100 cases, which is down from six a week ago.

OPH reported 146 more COVID cases over threedays and the deaths of twopeoplewith COVID,both older than 80.In all,977Ottawa residents who had COVID have died since the start of the pandemic, including367of them this year.

Vaccines

As of the most recent weekly update, 93per cent of Ottawa residents aged five and up had at least one COVIDvaccine dose,90 per cent had at least two and 62 per cent at least three.

Thirty-four per cent of Ottawans aged 12 and older had at least four doses.

About 9,050residents younger than five have had a first dose, which isabout 20per cent of Ottawa's population of that age group. About 3,950, or nine per cent, have had two.

Across the region

Spread

Coronavirus wastewater trends are low and stableinKingstonand stable in Cornwall. Data from other areas is out of date or unavailable.

The average COVID-19 test positivity in Renfrew Countyis a high, stable 13 per cent. In the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU), it remains around 12 per cent.

In his weekly video update, the EOHU's Dr. Paul Roumeliotissaid its COVID levels are low to moderateand stable, and people keeping up with vaccinations can keep it manageable.

"Adhering to all these public health measures collectively, I think that we'll be able to see over the next couple of weeks a lowering of all these numbers,less of a burden on the hospitals, and less of a burden on the vulnerable," he said.

WATCH | The medical officer of health's Wednesday update:

Hospitalizations and deaths

The number of people going to emergency rooms with respiratory illness is higher than normal across eastern Ontario, according to one provincial tool. Locally, the trend is only risingin Renfrew County.

Eastern Ontario communities outsideOttawa reportabout 30COVID hospitalizations, with fiveof these patients in intensive care.

That regional countdoesn'tincludeHastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health,which has a different counting method. Its counthas recentlybeenlow and stable.

Western Quebec's health authority,CISSSO,reported 96COVID-19hospitalizations. Noneof the patients are in intensive care. Itreported its 364th COVID death in its weekly update.

The EOHUreported two more COVID deaths, for 141 this year and 275 overall.

This is by far the deadliest year for reported COVID-19 deaths in the wider Ottawa-Gatineau region, with nearly half ofits more than 2,000 reported COVID deaths coming in 2022.

Vaccines

Across eastern Ontario, between 81 and92 per cent of residents age five and up have received at least two COVID-19 vaccine doses, and between 53 and65 per cent of those residentshave hadat leastthree.

The wider region has passed a combined 6.1 million COVID vaccine doses given out.