According to Dr. Kieran Moore, the province’s chief medical officer, the BA.5 sub-variable has been growing slowly since early June, but really started to “take off” in the middle of the month, becoming the dominant strain and now accounting for about 60 per cent of confirmed cases. The levels of coronavirus in Ottawa’s wastewater are “high and rising,” according to Ottawa Public Health (OPH). As of Sunday morning, there were 62 patients hospitalized with COVID — including patients initially admitted for other reasons. Six deaths were reported last week. Despite potential immunity, the latest sub-variants mean a greater chance of re-infection compared to earlier variants from earlier this year, according to Dr. Raywat Deonandan, an epidemiologist and associate professor at the University of Ottawa. Combine that with most pandemic restrictions now gone, and the jump in COVID-19 infections comes as no surprise. “I’m very concerned that when the fall comes and the days get cooler, people come back inside and schools are open. If we don’t get it under control by then, we might see a little bit more severe.” Deonandan said.
No more extensive testing
Although and when this current wave will peak is unclear, he said, because “we’re not testing enough.” Extensive trials ended about seven months ago, with OPH unable to keep up with demand, instead prioritizing vulnerable populations and essential workers. Even after the number of cases dropped, widespread testing never returned to Ottawa. “We’re in a kind of new territory because we’re blind,” Deonandan said. “We don’t have the same eye on the situation as we did in the past because public health has other priorities.” Tyson Graber is the research associate and co-principal investigator in Ottawa’s wastewater monitoring program for the coronavirus. (Francis Ferland/CBC) Tyson Graber, research associate and co-lead investigator in Ottawa’s wastewater monitoring program for the coronavirus, said Ottawa and the rest of the country will likely mirror Europe. Sewage trends there show cases and hospitalizations expected to peak within the next week “so hopefully we’ll see that here in Ottawa.” While he is expected to see hospitalization rates rise with higher infection rates, “it won’t be as bad as it has been in the past,” Graber said.
OPH should step up messaging
Deonandan said it was also unlikely to see a return to pandemic restrictions because public tolerance “is very low”, but added “frankly, we don’t need to do that”.
What needs to happen, he said, is for people to take steps to protect themselves from infection, including wearing a mask in high-risk areas and being informed about vaccinations.
Deonandan also said he wants to see the city strengthen its messaging about COVID-19. OPH has reduced the update of the COVID-19 dashboard to twice a week. Ottawa’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Vera Ets, no longer does regular updates.
“I’m a little disappointed that we seem to be adopting a narrative that everything is fine, when in fact there are many things we can and should do to ensure that transmission is low,” he said.
COVID-19 snapshot–JULY 7, 2022
Local data shows Ottawa is in a new wave of COVID-19. We’ve been here before & we all know the drill.
Remember, what we do now will make a difference in the weeks to come.
Watch this week’s video and read the tweets below for details. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/VuurAd7Gj4
—@OttawaHealth
In his statement, Dr. Brent Moloughney, Ottawa’s deputy medical examiner, said public health publishes a weekly COVID-19 “snapshot” on its website and social media platforms to help residents understand the extent of infection in the community.
The snapshots are intended to “inform the assessment of the level of risk and how different levels of protection are applied.”
Moloughney wrote that people are encouraged to continue to wear masks indoors and stay up to date on vaccinations against COVID-19.
“The pandemic is not over and even if we are tired of COVID-19, COVID-19 is not tired of us. We must remain conscious of the level of risk of COVID-19 in our community and in our lives,” the statement read .
