Recent respiratory progress holds steady in Ottawa

Recent developments:

• Ottawa's COVID-19 numbers remain moderate.
• Some flu signals are still very high.
• RSV trends are stable and low to moderate.
• Ninemore COVID deaths have been reported locally.

The latest

It's a generally stable weekly respiratory update from Ottawa Public Health (OPH).

Key COVID-19 and RSV numbers are mostly moderate. Flu trends are either moderate (test positivity and outbreaks) or very high (hospitalizations andwastewater readings).

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 average, as of Feb. 5, had been falling for about three weeks. The last time it was around this reading was at the end of October.

OPH says the wastewater signal drops tomoderate.

The weekly average test positivity rate in the city remains at12per cent, which OPH also considersmoderate.

Hospitalizations, outbreaks, vaccinesanddeaths

The average number of Ottawa residentsin local hospitals for COVID-19 is a stable 38 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 city40 as moderate.

Theactive COVID outbreak count is down to 21,mostly in long-term care or retirement homes. There is a lownumber of new outbreaks.

The health unit reported 144more COVID cases and fivemoreCOVIDdeaths in the last week. All victims were peopleage 80 or above.

OPH's latestCOVID vaccination updatesays 22 per cent of eligible residents have had the latest vaccine since therollout started in mid-September 2023. This does not account for immunity from an infection.

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 COVID-19 and RSV pictures arestable while flu stats are dropping. Its only two categories seen as very high are the COVID wastewater level and the number of flu outbreaks.

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 is stable atnine. Flu activity there is seen as low.

Western Quebecdrops to42hospital patients who have tested positive forCOVID.

The province reports two more deaths there, as does HPEfor its area.

Data for Leeds, Grenville and Lanark countiesgoes up to Jan.28, when its trends were generallydropping.Renfrew County'snext update is expected Thursday.