Winter COVID-19 rise eases in latest update

Recent developments:

• Ottawa's COVID-19 trends are stable at or dropping from high levels.
• CHEOis treating older teens again as hospital pressure is 'stabilizing.'
• More Ottawans age 12 and up were last boosted more than a year ago.
• Wastewater trends outside Ottawa also drop after a spike.

The latest

Some of Ottawa's pandemic trends had reached very high levels last week. The dynamic has been different in the days since, whether that's been growth stopping or levels dropping.

While positive local health-care news has been elusive in recent weeks, CHEO said Tuesday it can now care for patients who are age16or17 again as its situation stabilizes.

At the same time, other local hospitals say they remain incredibly busy and respiratory illnesses are a factor.Officials are trying to battle nonchalance around maskingas high levels ofCOVID mixes withimproved flu and RSV signals.

Expertsstrongly recommendpeople wear masks indoorsand, in Ontario, in the daysafter having COVID symptoms. Staying home when sick, keeping surfaces cleanandbeing up-to-date with COVID and flu vaccinesalsohelp protect vulnerable people.

CBC Ottawa takes a look at COVID trends on Tuesdays and Fridays.A broader look at respiratory illnesses comes on Wednesdays.

Wastewater

Data from the research teamsays the weekly average level of coronavirus in Ottawa's wastewater, as of Jan.15, had dropped six of the last seven days after rising for about six weeks.

It's at its lowest average of the young year.

Hospitals

OPH's count of active, local COVID-19 hospital patients is stable at 25, according to Tuesday's update, withtwo patients in intensive care.

There is another count that includesotherpatients, such as peopleadmitted for other reasons who then test positive for COVID, those admitted for lingering COVIDcomplications, and thosetransferred from other health units.

That numberrises again to where it was earlier in the month.

Tests, outbreaks and deaths

Ottawa's COVID-19 test positivity rate drops to near 14 per cent, around where it was before an early Januaryspike.Testing strategieschangedat the end of 2021andmanycasesaren't reflected incounts.

There are 29 active COVID outbreaks in Ottawa. This count has been slowly dropping this month.

OPH reported 142 more COVID cases over four days and the deaths of twopeoplewho had COVID: one in their 70s and one age 90 or above.In all,1,002 Ottawa residents who had COVID have died since the start of the pandemic.

Vaccines

Thirty-five per cent of Ottawans age 12 and older have had their most recentdose within the last six months, as is generally recommended,with older age groups having higher rates.

The percentage of residents who last received a booster more than a year ago continues to grow.

This does not factor inimmunity from getting COVID.

About 4,150 Ottawa residents had a COVID vaccine in the previous week, roughly the same as the week before that and fewer than the average week in autumn. Most were third or fourth doses.

As of the most recent weekly update, 93per cent of Ottawa residents aged five and up had at least one COVIDvaccine dose,90 per cent had at least two and 62 per cent at least three.

Thirty-six per cent of Ottawans aged 12 and older had at least four doses.

About 9,650residents younger than five have had a first dose, which isabout 21per cent of Ottawa's population of that age group. About 5,250, or 11 per cent, have had two.

Across the region

Spread

The coronavirus wastewater average in KingstonandLeeds, Grenville and Lanark (LGL) counties is dropping after a spike. West of Kingston, it's stable. Datafor other areas outside Ottawa isout of date or unavailable.

The average COVID test positivity falls to around 17 per cent in the Belleville area after a rise at the end of December. It's a stable 13 per cent in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit and drops to around 16 per cent in the Kingston area.

Hospitalizations and deaths

Eastern Ontario communities outsideOttawa reporta drop to about35COVID-19 hospitalizations, with sixpatients in intensive care.

That regional countdoesn'tincludeHastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health,which has a different counting method. It has 13 local COVID hospitalizations after spending December in single digits.

Western Quebec's health authority,CISSSO,reports98COVIDhospitalizations. That number has been around that number since December.One of the patients is in intensive care.

One more COVID death was reported in LGL and the Kingston area. A total of 146 people with COVID have died in LGL and a total of 106 have died in and around Kingston.

Vaccines

The Kingston area's health unit says that 33 per cent of its population age five and up have had a booster vaccine in the last six months. That number is 27 per cent in HPE and unavailable elsewhere.

Across eastern Ontario, between 82 and93 per cent of residents age five and up have received at least two COVID-19 vaccine doses, and between 53 and66 per cent of those residentshave hadat leastthree.