More People Have Died Of COVID-19 In Ottawa In 2022 Than 2021 & Cases Are Rising

The numbers aren't looking so good, Ottawa. Sadly, more people in the nation's capital have died due to COVID-19 this year compared to last year, as the BA.5 variant drives cases up, according to Ottawa Public Health.

In Ottawa, a total of 840 residents have died because of COVID-19. There have already been 230 deaths caused by the virus in 2022, compared to the 229 deaths that were recorded in 2021.

As of July 25, Ottawa had 1,346 active cases of the virus, with 492 of those cases being reported from July 22 to July 25. Over those four days, there were five deaths.

"This is indicative that the level of COVID-19 is very high in Ottawa right now, higher than the January Omicron wave," said OPH Medical Officer Dr. Vera Etches in an OPH press release.

According to OPH, wastewater indicators of the virus are "very high and increasing." Across the city, there are 69 outbreaks in institutional settings.

From July 22 to July 25, Ottawa hospitals saw 166 COVID-19 patients, with four people needing an ICU bed because of COVID-19.

Vera Etches noted that subvariants are more transmissible than the original strain of COVID-19. Ottawa is currently among the top regions seeing the highest COVID-19 rates in Ontario.

To help curb the spread of the virus, OPH is recommending folks get up to date on boosters and wear masks in crowded indoor spaces. The province also recently announced that kids 6 months to 5 years old are now eligible to be vaccinated as of Thursday, July 28.

So far, about 900,000 Ottawans have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 600,000 have had the latest booster dose. Stay safe, everyone!