Ottawa COVID trends nearing 4 straight months of stability

Recent developments:

• Ottawa's COVID-19 numbers are stable or dropping.
• Its average coronavirus wastewater readingis its lowest in more than a year.
• The EOHU's COVID risk level remains low.
• Nomore local people with COVID have died.

The latest

Ottawa's pandemic trends arestable or dropping. Generally, COVID indicators have remained stable or have droppedsince mid-January.

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) says no trend has presented a concern. It's a similar dynamic in the wider region outside of Ottawa.

Expertsrecommendpeople wear masks indoorsand, in Ontario, in the daysafter having COVID symptoms. Staying home when sickandstaying up to date with COVIDvaccinescan alsohelp protect vulnerable people.

Wastewater

Data from the research teamshows, as of the most recent update April 30,the average coronavirus wastewater levelhas dropped about a weekto reach its lowest reading since March 2022.

OPHconsideredthelevel to behigh last week, with its next assessment coming Wednesday.

This average has generally stayed within the same range for a year.

Hospitals

The number of Ottawa residentsin local hospitals for COVID-19 hasbeen generally stable for more than two months. The number was 13 in Tuesday's update, including two patients in ICU.

A separate countthat includespatientswho testedpositive for COVIDafter being admitted for other reasons, those admitted for lingering COVIDcomplications, and thosetransferred from other health units is stable.

Tests, outbreaks and deaths

Ottawahas a stable seven active COVID outbreaks. According to OPH, that numberis considered low.

The city'sCOVID-19 test positivity raterose most of Aprilto around 11 per cent, whichOPH consideredmoderate last week. It then dropped for the past week to around eight per cent.

OPHreported46more COVID cases since Friday and nomore COVID deaths.

Vaccines

Seventeen per cent of Ottawans age five and older have had a COVID-19 vaccine dose within the last six months,with older age groups having higher vaccination rates. Thisdoes not factor inimmunity from getting COVID.

Ontario's vaccine recommendations changed in early Aprilto focus onhigher-risk people.

Ottawa residents received about 250 COVID vaccine doses in the last week, according to OPH.

As of the most recent weekly update, 85per cent of Ottawa residents had at least one COVIDvaccine dose, 82per cent had at least two, 56per cent at least three and 31 per cent at least four.

Across the region

Spread

TheEastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU)'sCOVID-19 risk levelremains lowbased on trends such as wastewater and test positivity.

Coronavirus wastewater averages are low and stable in Kingston, stable in Brockville and falling in Smiths Falls.They'reotherwise out of date or unavailable outside of Ottawa.

The Kingston area's average COVID test positivity over the last week rises to around 12 per cent, around where it was in early April.

Hospitalizations and deaths

Eastern Ontario communities outsideOttawa report about 25COVID-19 hospitalizations, withtwopatients in intensive care.

That regional countdoesn'tincludeHastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health,whichshares a weekly average of itslocal hospitalization count: six in its most recently weekly update.

Western Quebec has 39 hospital patients with COVID. None of them arein intensive care.

Vaccines

The Kingston area's health unit says 14per cent of its population age five and up have had a COVID vaccine in the last six months. That number drops to 16 per cent in HPE, and it remains unavailable elsewhere.

Across eastern Ontario, as of April 13, between 79 and90 per cent of residents age five and up have received at least two COVID-19 vaccine doses, and between 52 and65 per cent of those residentshave hadat leastthree, according to the province.