Bargain hunters go through clothes racks set up on a driveway during the Great Glebe Garage Sale, which returned from a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Ottawa May 28, 2022. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Ottawa’s pandemic trends are stable or dropping.
Its residents have had about 20,000 vaccine doses in the last two weeks.
The most recent data available (the bold red line in the graph below) shows the seven-day average calculated on May 26 remained about twice what it was in early March, before the current spike.
It’s about six times higher than in late autumn before Omicron hit.
Researchers measuring and sharing the amount of novel coronavirus in Ottawa’s wastewater reported new pandemic records for daily readings and the weekly average in April 2022. The most recent data is from May 26. ( 613covid.ca)
Hospitals
Fourteen Ottawa residents are in local hospitals to be treated for COVID-19, according to Monday’s OPH update. Two of the patients are in intensive care.
Both numbers dropped for about two weeks starting at the end of April, then have been stable for about two weeks.
The hospitalization figures above don’t include all patients. For example, they leave out patients admitted for other reasons who then test positive for COVID-19, those admitted for lingering COVID-19 complications, and those transferred from other health units.
When those categories are included, there were 60 patients on Saturday. That’s fewer than the previous couple of updates.
Ottawa Public Health has a COVID-19 hospital count that shows all hospital patients who tested positive for COVID, including those admitted for other reasons, and who live in other areas. There were 60 as of May 28. (Ottawa Public Health)
At about seven per cent, Ottawa’s average positivity rate for those who received PCR tests outside long-term care homes is stable. The average inside the homes is five per cent, which is slowly dropping.
Ottawa has 19 active COVID outbreaks Monday. That number has been very slowly dropping.
On Monday, OPH reported 113 more cases over three days and three more deaths. That brings the city’s COVID death toll to 26 people this month and 807 people overall.
The rolling weekly incidence rate of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, expressed per 100,000 residents, is around 25.
Vaccines
916,961: The number of Ottawa residents age five and up with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, about 400 more than the last OPH update two weeks ago. That’s still 92 per cent of the eligible population.
881,483: The number of Ottawa residents age five and up with a second dose, about 650 since the last update. That’s still 89 per cent of the eligible population.
577,660: The number of Ottawans age 12 and up with a third dose, about 400 since the last update. That’s still 63 per cent of these residents; younger children only qualify with certain health conditions.
Ten per cent of residents age 12 and up have a fourth dose, or about 91,600 people. That’s more than 17,000 fourth doses since the last update.
Measurements elsewhere are at least a week old or not publicly available.
Western Quebec has about 50 COVID hospitalizations, including patients who are no longer considered active cases. That’s a slight from from the number last week. One of those patients requires intensive care.
The health authority for the Outaouais reported its 315th COVID-19 death overall Monday, its 11th reported this month.
Eastern Ontario communities outside Ottawa are reporting about 35 COVID-19 hospitalizations, including about five in intensive care. Both numbers are stable.
LGL reported its 107th COVID death Monday. Its COVID hospitalizations have been stable between five and nine this month.
The Eastern Ontario Health Unit lists six local active COVID hospitalizations, which is around where that number has been for two weeks.
Vaccines
About 5.4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered to people in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
Quebec considers about 78 per cent of Outaouais residents to be “adequately vaccinated,” which can be a combination of vaccination and recent infection.
For each of the eastern Ontario health units, there are anywhere from 81 to 92 per cent of eligible residents with at least two vaccine doses, and anywhere from 59 to 71 per cent of adults with three doses.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
