What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa for the week of April 4
Spread surging, changes to mask and 4th vaccine dose rules
Recent developments:
- COVID-19 spread is surging.
- Provinces expand eligibility for a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose.
- Quebec to keep masking mandate at least through end of April.
COVID-19 spread is surging in both Ontario and Quebec and local health officials want people to be careful.
Ottawa and parts of Kingston are still setting records for the amount of coronavirus in its wastewater, eastern Ontario as a whole has one of the highest wastewater averages in Ontario and hospitalization rates are high in some rural areas.
Quebec's health-care institute does not predict hospital capacity will be overwhelmed. The head of Ontario's science table says it "might not" see as many hospitalizations as in January because of immunity from vaccines and recent infection.
Ontario has opened fourth dose eligibility to people age 60 and above and Indigenous adults. Quebecers in their 60s can get a fourth vaccine dose starting Monday.
Quebec is keeping its mask mandate in indoor public spaces until at least April 30 as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge.
What are the numbers to watch?
Testing strategies have changed under the contagious Omicron variant and many people with COVID-19 aren't reflected in case counts. Hospitalization numbers and the wastewater signal offer additional data that can help fill in the picture.
There's more information in our daily story on key numbers.
Ottawa
The average and now daily levels of coronavirus in Ottawa's wastewater has risen quickly to a new high, although that data isn't available for the first wave.
There were 19 Ottawa residents in local hospitals for treatment of active COVID-19 as of Friday's OPH report. None needed intensive care.
Ottawa has had 67,648 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and 765 residents have died from the illness.
The wider region
Communities outside of Ottawa have about 45 COVID-19 hospitalizations. About 10 of those patients need intensive care. These numbers don't include Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.
Recent wastewater data from Kingston includes some of the highest readings of 2022. The wastewater signal is rising or stable across Leeds, Grenville and Lanark county sites.
In the rest of eastern Ontario, 435 people with COVID-19 have died. The death toll is 294 in western Quebec.
About 5.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered to people in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
Rates of eligible eastern Ontarians with at least two vaccine doses range from 80 to 92 per cent; adults with a third dose range from 58 to 70 per cent. These numbers aren't regularly available for western Quebec.
What are the rules?
There are no provincial vaccination requirements or capacity limits in Ontario and Quebec.
Masks are only mandatory in certain indoor settings in Ontario. All of Ontario's COVID-19 rules are expected to end April 27.
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Some places may choose to continue requiring people wear masks, be vaccinated or both. Mask rules may be different in places that fall under federal jurisdiction, like the Ottawa airport.
Quebec has pushed back plans to lift most mask mandates until April 30 at the earliest.
Ontario and Quebec isolation rules have loosened for some close contacts.
Travel
Travellers older than 12 years and four months must be fully vaccinated to board a plane or train in Canada.
People have to be fully vaccinated, pre-approved and asymptomatic to enter Canada without quarantining.
The U.S. requires all adults crossing a border to be fully vaccinated. People flying there will need proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test.
Travellers who need a test have local options to pay for one.
How can I manage risk?
COVID-19 spreads through droplets that can hang in the air. People can be contagious without symptoms, even after getting a vaccine.
Evidence suggests the dominant Omicron BA.2 subvariant is more contagious than other types but generally less deadly for vaccinated people without underlying conditions.
This level of spread puts vulnerable people at risk. Indicators are rising again but it's not clear if it will rise to put serious pressure on the health-care system again.
Officials say people need to take personal responsibility as government rules transition to recommendations.
They're urging people to get all vaccine doses they're eligible for — especially if they're over 50 — stay home when sick, wear medical masks in crowded and indoor spaces, keep their hands clean, distance, see others outdoors if possible and limit close contacts, while also taking community spread and vaccine rates into account.
Vaccines
Vaccines curb the spread of all variants of COVID-19 and go a long way toward avoiding deaths and hospitalizations, although they don't offer total protection.
Six COVID-19 vaccines are safe and approved in Canada, with some age restrictions around who can get them.
Need assistance booking or getting to your COVID-19 vaccine appointment? Learn how: <a href="https://t.co/LANbAJPFY7">https://t.co/LANbAJPFY7</a> <a href="https://t.co/ADZqF59Iv6">pic.twitter.com/ADZqF59Iv6</a>
—@EOHU_tweetEastern Ontario
Eligible people can look for provincial appointments online or by phone at 1-833-943-3900.
Adults can book third shots once 84 days have passed since their second. Third doses are available for ages 12 to 17 after 168 days.
Fourth doses are being offered to select groups. Eligibility expands today to everyone age 60 above as well as Indigenous adults once five months have passed since their third.
Check local health unit websites for clinics and any local specifics, such as Renfrew County giving fourth doses by appointment only. Some pharmacies and family doctors offer vaccines through their own booking systems.
Western Quebec
Eligible residents can get an appointment online by calling 1-877-644-4545 or by visiting a permanent or mobile walk-in clinic.
Everyone age 12 and up is eligible for a third dose; the general recommended wait time after a second is three months.
Fourth doses are available for people age 70 and above and some higher-risk groups. Eligibility expands to people in their 60s on Monday.
Symptoms, treatment and testing
COVID-19 can range from a cold-like illness to a severe lung infection, with common symptoms including fever, a cough, headache, fatigue and vomiting. If you have severe symptoms, call 911.
"Long-haul" symptoms can last for months.
Mental health can also be affected by the pandemic, and resources are available to help.
Ontario and Quebec are using Pfizer's COVID-19 oral prescription treatment Paxlovid on people at risk of severe COVID-19 problems who have tested positive. They have to start within five days of developing symptoms.
Ontario has clinical assessment centres where people can get a test and treatment, with efforts underway to expand distribution sites. Quebec is giving it out for free at pharmacies with a medical professional's referral.
Tests
Ontario and Quebec have limited laboratory-checked PCR tests to people at higher risk due to the demand generated by Omicron.
Qualified people can check with their health authority for locations and hours. Other people with symptoms should assume they have COVID-19 and isolate.
Both provinces are giving rapid tests away at participating stores and child-care settings. People can also buy them.
The plan is for people in Ontario with a positive rapid test to eventually be able to get a follow-up PCR test. People in Quebec can report rapid test results online.
First Nations, Inuit and Métis
Indigenous people, or someone travelling to work in a remote Indigenous community, are eligible for a PCR test in both Ontario and Quebec.
Inuit in Ottawa can call the Akausivik Inuit Family Health Team at 613-740-0999 on weekdays for testing and vaccines in Inuktitut or English.
Akwesasne has COVID-19, test and vaccine information online or at 613-575-2341. Masks remain in its schools. About 1,900 residents have tested positive and 19 have died between its north and south sections.
People in Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg can call 819-449-8085 for a test on Wednesdays, if they qualify. Rapid tests are available at the health centre. It had more than 175 confirmed cases and one death as of mid-January; more than 150 since Dec. 3, 2021.
Pikwàkanagàn has ended its COVID hotline, referring people to its health-care services instead. The community didn't have any confirmed COVID-19 cases until December 2021; it had 114 confirmed cases as of March 11.
The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte are keeping mask mandates for government buildings until April 19. Anyone who's interested in a PCR test or vaccine can call 613-967-3603, rapid tests are available at the wellbeing centre on weekdays. It had 91 confirmed cases until it stopped sharing its count in January, with two deaths.