Stubborn flu sticks out in otherwise lower viral mix

Recent developments:

• Ottawa's COVID-19numbers are low to moderate, and dropping.
• Some flu trends are still seen as very high.
• The RSVpicture isstable and lower.
• Sixmore COVID deaths have been reported locally.

The latest

Theweekly respiratoryupdate from Ottawa Public Health (OPH)has its three main viruses going in three directions.

Fluis generally rising late in thewinter. Its hospitalizations and wastewater average are very high, though both werehigher in December and January.

Last season the flu wastewater signal stopped rising at the start of January and was basically nothingshortly afterward. Flu trends werelow a year ago.

COVID-19 trends aredropping and either low or moderate. RSV is stable around the same levels.

Expertsrecommendpeople cover coughs,wear masks, keephands and often-touched surfaces clean, stay home when sick andkeepup with COVID and flu vaccinesto help protect themselves andvulnerable people.

OPHsaysthe city's health-care institutions remainat high risk from respiratory illnesses, as they havebeensince the end of August. This will be the case untilrespiratory trends are low again.

In Ottawa

Spread

The weekly average test positivity rate in the city falls to about seven per cent, which OPH now considerslow.

Ottawa'scoronavirus wastewater averageback onFeb. 7, the most recent data available,fell for the final three weeks of January and then rose slightly to start this month.

OPH, citing data for last week that's not on the public dashboard,saidthe wastewater signal was moderate and dropping.

Hospitalizations, outbreaks, vaccinesanddeaths

The average number of Ottawa residentsin local hospitals for COVID-19 is down to 28 over the last week.

Aseparatewider countwhich includespatientswho testedpositive for COVIDafter being admitted for other reasons, wereadmitted for lingering COVIDcomplications or were transferred from other health unitsis stable.

OPH considers the number of new COVID-related hospitalizations in the city38 as moderate, down from high.

Theactive COVID outbreak count is a stable 11. There is a low number of new outbreaks.

The health unit reported 80more COVID cases and threemoreCOVIDdeaths in the last week. One victim was in their 60s and the other two were age 80 or above.

OPH's next COVID vaccination updateis expected in early March.

After nearly four years, OPH said it is also ending its COVID-specific dashboardat some point this month. Much of the information is now reflectedin OPH's respiratory updates. OPH said COVID open data will continue tobe updated.

Across the region

The Kingston area's health unitsays it's alsoin the midst of a high-risk time for respiratory illness.

Its flu, COVID-19 and RSV pictures are all stable and almost alllow or moderate. The only category that's seen as high is the number of flu outbreaks.

The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU)'s big-picture assessmentrates the overall respiratory risk as moderate and stable.

Hastings Prince Edward (HPE) Public Healthdoesn't have a COVID update this week.Flu activity there is seen as low.

Western Quebecdrops to 35hospital patients who have tested positive forCOVID. The province reported two more COVID deaths there.

The health unit for Leeds, Grenville and Lanark(LGL) counties reported one more COVID death.

LGL datagoes up to Feb. 11, when its trends were generallydropping.Renfrew County's next update is expected Thursday.