More Ontarians have died of COVID-19 in a three-month span this fall than the number of people killed last year on Ontario highways — a comparison one researcher is using to illustrate the stark and ongoing toll of the virus.
Data from Public Health Ontario shows that 574 people died of COVID between Sept. 3 and Dec. 9. Last year, the Ontario Provincial Police reported that about 350 people died in motor vehicle crashes on OPP-patrolled roads.
Comments closed“We have to be able to have open conversations about the reality of COVID and not pretend that it’s not there,” infectious disease expert Dr. Dick Zoutman told the Whig-Standard in a candid interview about the terrible toll that the pandemic is taking on public health.
Data published by Public Health Ontario on Dec. 7 reveals that the COVID-19 Wastewater Signal for Eastern Ontario is rising on a steep curve. In other words, SARS-CoV-2, the airborne virus that causes COVID-19, is spreading out of control, sickening adults and children alike.
Comments closedA $300-million proposed class-action lawsuit filed against convoy protesters, donors and organizers on behalf of people who live or work in Ottawa is facing another challenge, with lawyers arguing the case seeks to unfairly limit fundamental freedoms.
“The levels of [COVID-19] are at the highest levels they’ve been ever […] There’s hundreds or even thousands of people that have COVID-19 right now.”
Comments closedTen Ottawa residents have died of COVID-19 over the past week as the pandemic wave that began in the summer continues, fueled by new sub-variants and the busy season for social gatherings.
Ottawa Public Health reported the 10 new deaths in its latest update on COVID-19, published Wednesday. A total of 1,185 Ottawa residents have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began nearly four years ago.
Comments closedThe Kingston General Hospital says a surge of emergency department inpatients, including a day that had a near record 580 admissions, has the hospital struggling to keep up as the respiratory virus season peaks across the province.
Comments closed📈 The COVID-19 wastewater viral signal for Ottawa has increased substantially (+2,069%) since a low on July 12, 2023. It is extremely high.
⚠️ The 7-day average of percent positivity is extremely high (19.28%).
🏥 Confirmed COVID-19 patients in Ottawa hospitals: 164 ( increase of 8).
In 2023, there have been 129 COVID-19 outbreaks at Ottawa’s hospitals so far, leading to 20 deaths and 1,027 known cases of COVID-19.
Comments closedWith a surge of patients with respiratory illnesses being cared for in its hallways, the Kingston Health Sciences Centre is reminding people to stay home if they’re feeling sick to cut back the spread — even if it means missing that holiday party.
Comments closedWhen the pandemic started, the province was testing the population and updating the number of COVID cases daily.
But four years on, testing has stalled and the main way to get a snapshot of the COVID picture is through wastewater.
Re: Ottawa Public Health to let go most remaining COVID-19 staff as province ends special pandemic funding, Dec. 3.
I’m deeply disappointed to hear that Ottawa Public Health will be cancelling COVID-19 programs, including immunization services for the general population. The pandemic is not over. According to Statistics Canada, COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death for Canadians last year.
Comments closedNot enough people are getting vaccinated for COVID-19. That’s according to a Western University professor involved in the Ontario COVID-19 Waste Water Survey Program. “What…
Comments closed📈 The COVID-19 wastewater viral signal for Ottawa has increased substantially (+1,916%) since a low on July 12, 2023. It is extremely high.
⚠️ The 7-day average of percent positivity is extremely high (17.74%).
🏥 Confirmed COVID-19 patients in Ottawa hospitals: 156 ( decrease of 4).
In 2023, there have been 124 COVID-19 outbreaks at Ottawa’s hospitals so far, leading to 18 deaths and 995 known cases of COVID-19.
Comments closedNearly half of people over 80 in Ottawa have not received the latest COVID-19 vaccine, leaving them at risk for severe outcomes if they become infected, Ottawa’s medical officer of health is warning.
Comments closedA judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has dismissed former MPP Randy Hillier’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms challenge against Reopening Ontario Act charges laid against him in the spring of 2021.
Comments closedEmergency departments and other hospital services have closed a record number of times in Ontario so far in 2023, according to a new Ontario Health Coalition report being described as “staggering.”
Comments closedOttawa’s medical officer of health is warning that COVID-19 levels in the community are high and the number of people in hospital because of the disease is higher than it was at this time last year.
In her verbal report to the Board of Health on Monday, Dr. Vera Etches said there is a lot of COVID-19 in the community.
Comments closedOttawa Public Health will layoff most of its COVID-19 staff by the end of the year and wrap up its immunization programming at the end of March, as the Ontario government stops reimbursing for extraordinary costs related to the pandemic.
Comments closedOttawa Public Health will let go most of its remaining COVID-19 staff by the end of the year as the province stops directly reimbursing most costs related to the pandemic.
OPH will continue offering vaccines to the most vulnerable, including long-term care residents and recent immigrants, but will wrap up broader COVID-19 efforts by the end of March.
Comments closed
