Key COVID-19 numbers in the Ottawa area today

• Ottawa COVID hospitalizations and wastewater each rise.
• A woman in her 20s with COVID dies in Ottawa.
• Renfrew County reports its fifth COVID death in eight days.

Today's Ottawa update

There are currently 35Ottawa residentsin local hospitals for treatment of active COVID-19, according to Ottawa Public Health (OPH), three more than in Wednesday's update

Three peoplewith COVID-19 arein anICU, one fewer than the last update.Those patients range in age from their 40s to 80s.

• 'More than a crisis': Ottawa hospitals face severe staffing shortages

These hospital numbers do not include people who came to the hospital for other reasons who then test positive for COVID-19 or patient transfers from other health units.

Levels of coronavirus in Ottawa's wastewater, which don't rely on testing, rose again as of Tuesday after a few days of stability.

The case count has surged to record levels in many placesthis winter and as the Omicron variant's spread overwhelms and limits testing, the actual number of cases in Ottawacould be three to 10 timeshigher, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches said Tuesday.

On Thursday, OPHreports1,231 more confirmed COVID-19 cases and thedeath of a woman in her 20swho had COVID.

Of the people who are getting tested, more than 35 per cent are positive. That number has been generally rising since the end of November.

The rolling seven-day averageof newly confirmedCOVID-19 cases expressed per 100,000 residents is above 650despite those testing limits.

Ninetyper cent of Ottawa'seligible population has at least one vaccine dose, 83 per cent have at least two, and 35 per cent have three though third dose eligibility is extremelylimited for children under 18. OPH's next vaccine update comes on Friday.

Across the region

The wider region has 153COVID-19 hospitalizations and 26 ICU patientsas ofnoon ET. There aremore than 24,000known active cases even with testing limits.

Renfrew County reportedits fifth COVID death in eight daysafter reporting just 11 throughout the rest of the pandemic.

Hastings Prince Edward reported three moreCOVID-19 patients in local hospitals, for a total of19. Thatincludesthree in intensive care. Two more residentswith COVID-19 in that region have died.

The Kingston area has18 COVID hospitalizations and nineICU patients. Its wastewater levelswere high as of its last update Dec. 30.

• Kingston top doc cautiously optimistic, but says hospitalizations remain high

Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties report 13 local COVID hospitalizations, four of them in intensive care. Those are each one fewer than Wednesday.