Some turbulence toward usual end of respiratory season

Recent developments:

• Ottawa's COVID-19 and flu numbers are moderate to high.
• RSV trends are stable and lower.
• Ninemore COVID deaths have been reported locally.

The latest

It's not a straight line down and out of high-risk respiratory territory in the back half of this winter.

You'll find half the trends listed as moderate orstable in theweekly update from Ottawa Public Health (OPH). Amongthe others, however, more are rising than falling, and only one categoryis seen as low.

Flu and COVIDlevels in wastewater have tickedback up, for example.

The number of emergency room visits for all causes and for respiratory reasons have each risen again for two weeks after dropping for three.

RSVnumbers are lower, though the number of new hospitalizations last week was stillhigh.

Expertsrecommendpeople cover coughs,wear masks, keephands and often-touched surfaces clean, stay home when sick andkeepup with COVID and flu vaccinesto help protect themselves andvulnerable people.

OPHsaysthe city's health-care institutions remainat high risk from respiratory illnesses, as they havebeensince the end of August. This will be the case untilrespiratory trends are low again.

In Ottawa

Spread

Ottawa's recentcoronavirus wastewater averageback onFeb. 7, the most recent data available,fell for the final three weeks of January and then rose slightly to start this month.

OPH saidthe wastewater signal was very high again.

The weekly average test positivity rate in the city falls to about nine per cent, which OPHconsidersmoderate.

Hospitalizations, outbreaks, vaccinesanddeaths

The average number of Ottawa residentsin local hospitals for COVID-19 is a stable 32 over the last week.

Aseparatewider count,which includespatientswho testedpositive for COVIDafter being admitted for other reasons, wereadmitted for lingering COVIDcomplications or were transferred from other health units,has edged downward again.

OPH considers the number of new COVID-related hospitalizations in the city47 as high.

Theactive COVID outbreak count is down to 11. There is a moderate number of new outbreaks.

The health unit reported 130more COVID cases and two moreCOVIDdeaths in the last week. One victim was in their 60s and the other in their 80s.

OPH's next COVID vaccination updateis expected in early March.

After nearly four years, OPH said it is also ending its COVID-specific dashboardat some point this month. Much of the information is now reflectedin OPH's respiratory updates. OPH said COVID open data will continue tobe updated.

Across the region

The Kingston area's health unitsays it's alsoin the midst of a high-risk time for respiratory illness.

Its fluand RSV pictures arestable while COVID-19stats are dropping. Its onlycategory seen as very high isthe fallingCOVID wastewater level.

The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU)'s big-picture assessmentrates the overall respiratory risk as moderate and stable.

Hastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health, like Ottawa,gives a weekly COVIDcase hospital average. That rises slightly to 13. Flu activity there is seen as low.

Renfrew County's trends are dropping.

Western Quebecdrops to 38hospital patients who have tested positive forCOVID.

The health unit for Renfrew County reported five more COVID deaths over two weeks. The EOHU reported one more in the previous week, as did the province for western Quebec.

Data for Leeds, Grenville and Lanark countiesgoes up to Feb. 4, when its trends were generallydropping.