Ottawa's COVID trends stay the course entering April

Recent developments:

• Ottawa's COVID-19 numbers aremostly stable or dropping.
• 75% of Ottawansover age fourdon't have the recommended COVID vaccine protection.
• The EOHU's COVID risk level remains moderate.
• Sixmore peoplewith COVIDhavedied in the region.

The latest

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) said in its latest overviewthe city's COVID-19 pictureis generally stableat moderate to very high levels.

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 the average coronavirus wastewater levelhas been rising for more thanthree weeks. That growth has recently shown signs of slowing.

The most recent data is from April 2. OPHconsiders this level to be very high.It hasn't often risen much higher than this in the last year or so.

Hospitals

The number of Ottawa residentsin local hospitals for COVID-19 drops to 15. It's been generally stable around 20 for nearly two months.

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

Ottawa again has 15 active COVID outbreaks. According to OPH, that numberis considered moderate.

The city'sCOVID-19 test positivity rate drops to around eight per cent.

OPHreported 55more COVID cases since Fridayand thedeaths of two people who hadCOVID, both in their 70s.

Vaccines

Twenty-fiveper cent of Ottawans age five and older have had a COVID-19 vaccine dose within the last six months, as is generally recommended,with older age groups having higher vaccination rates.

That translates to about 783,000 people in that age range without the recommended vaccine protection.It does not factor inimmunity from getting COVID.

While recency data isn't available for this age group, 14 per cent of Ottawanssix months to four years old have at least two doses. They first became eligible in late July 2022.

Ottawa residents received about 300 COVID vaccine doses in the last week.

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 risk levelremains moderate.

Coronavirus wastewater averages are stablein the Kingston areaand Leeds, Grenville and Lanarkcounties.They'reotherwise out of date or unavailable outside of Ottawa.

The average test positivity in the Kingston area rises to 12 per cent, back around where it was a month ago.

Hospitalizations and deaths

Eastern Ontario communities outsideOttawa reportabout 20COVID-19 hospitalizations, with its three patients in intensive care all in the EOHU.

That regional countdoesn'tincludeHastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health,which has a different counting method. Its local hospitalization count is stable around 19. The health unit also reported its 115th COVID death in its weekly update.

The EOHU reported three more COVID deaths, bringing its total to 300.

Western Quebec has 55hospital patients with COVID. One of them isin intensive care.

Vaccines

The Kingston area's health unit says 22 per cent of its population age five and up have had a COVID vaccine in the last six months. It also drops to 22per cent in HPE and is unavailable elsewhere.

Across eastern Ontario, 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.