In a statement to CTV News Ottawa on Monday, deputy medical officer of health Dr. Brent Moloughney said OPH is monitoring rising levels of the virus in the community. “As we enter a new wave, it’s important to consider your risk and the risks of those around you when you gather. Ottawa Public Health continues to strongly recommend that people continue to practice the measures we know work – stay informed with COVID -19 vaccinations, limiting close contacts, staying at home if you are unwell, avoiding crowded areas and wearing a mask,” he said. OPH’s COVID-19 dashboard is only updated on Tuesdays and Fridays, and there was no update on Canada Day. Since last Tuesday’s report, OPH reported an increase in the number of confirmed cases reported per day and an increase in the positivity rate of people still undergoing testing. The number of new cases reported in the week of June 19 was 423, slightly higher than the peak of the September 2021 wave, but still well below the all-time high of 7,000 cases reported in the week of December 26, 2021. Eligibility for testing was more relaxed in 2021 than it is now, and laboratory-confirmed case counts in 2022 are generally considered an underrepresentation of the amount of COVID-19 in the community. The latest data from the Ottawa Wastewater Monitoring Project COVID-19 shows the seven-day average viral signal detected in the city’s wastewater last week was nearly as high as it was at the peak of the January 2022 wave, but remains below the April 2022 wave which saw the viral signal hit an all-time high. The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations remained low according to last week’s OPH report. As of June 28, OPH has recorded 74,866 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 819 Ottawa residents have died from the disease. At least 209 Ottawa residents have died from COVID-19 so far in 2022, compared to 228 total in 2021 and 381 between March and December 2020. Moloughney’s comment comes amid debate about expanding eligibility for a COVID-19 vaccine booster to allow residents 18 and older to receive a fourth dose. Currently, fourth installments are not available to people under the age of 60 in Ontario. Canada’s Chief Medical Officer and the National Advisory Council on Immunization (NACI) are telling provinces to start booster campaigns in the fall, but some experts are calling for boosters to be made widely available now. Ottawa epidemiologist Dr. Raywat Deonandan, told Newstalk 580 CFRA on Sunday that fall is too late to start boosting with a wave on the way, and Ottawa physician Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth said she will take legal action against the provincial government if booster eligibility remains limited much longer. “Waiting until the fall when we’re told it’s going to be really bad in the fall is ridiculous. we should have access to the vaccine now,” says Kaplan-Myrth. “A lot of people used to go to Quebec to get the shot because anyone 18 and over gets it, but unfortunately a lot of places in Quebec are now turning away Ontarians so now people have to drive to the United States. “ Moloughney said the decision to expand booster eligibility is in the hands of the provincial health department. In a statement, the Department of Health said fourth doses are available for higher-risk populations, but a review of the guidelines is ongoing. “We are reviewing the latest NACI guidance and will provide details on fall booster shots in the coming weeks,” the statement said. To date, 64 per cent of Ottawa residents aged 12 and over have received a booster shot against COVID-19, according to OPH data. –With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Peter Szperling.
