Key COVID-19 numbers in the Ottawa area today

• Ottawa Public Health updates the city about spread, risk prevention.
• The capital's trends are stable Thursday.
• No deaths were reported across the region.

Today's Ottawa update

In a new statement, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) says it expectsan increase in COVID-19 transmission as restrictions are removed, and if that becomes concerning, it willgo over local options with the province.

Ontario's science tableissueda similar messageThursday.

OPH continues to promote vaccinations so that people don't get seriously sick, along withmasking in crowded and indoor spaces to protect others. It's launched a new page to help people decide what's safe.

Eleven Ottawa residents are in local hospitals being treated forCOVID-19, according to Thursday's OPHupdate, with two in an ICU.These numbers have been stable this month.

Hospital numbersdonot includepeople who came to hospital for other reasons and then tested positive for COVID-19. They also don't cover people with lingering COVID-19problems, or patients transferredfrom other health units.

OPH shares those numbers a few times per week. They are also stable.

Theaveragelevelof coronavirus in Ottawa's wastewaterwas dropping earlier this month, but has risenback to around where it was at the start of March.

The level has been generally stablesince the middle of February.

Testing strategies have changedunderthe contagiousOmicron variant, meaning many people with COVID-19aren't reflected inthe case count.

OPH reported 130 moreCOVID-19 cases and no more deaths Thursday. The health unit also reported 10 health-care outbreaks, a number that's remained relatively stable all week.

The rolling weekly incidence rate of newly confirmedCOVID-19 cases, expressed per 100,000 residents, is around 60.

The averagepositivity rate for those who received PCR tests outside long-term care homes was stable around 13per cent as of Wednesday. The averagein homes wasalso stablearound sixper cent.

As of Monday's weekly update, 92 per cent of eligible Ottawa residents have at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, 88 per cent have at least two and 61 per cent of residents age 12 and up have at least three.

Across the region

Communities outside of Ottawa haveabout 30 COVID-19 hospitalizations, about 15of which requireintensive care. These numbers have been slowly droppinganddon't include Hastings Prince EdwardPublic Health.

Renfrew County reported nine local COVID hospitalizations in its weekly update, which is stable. Western Quebec'shospitalization count drops to four.

Wastewater trends are stableacross Leeds, Grenville and Lanarkcountiesandvary in theKingston area.