New COVID-19 wave underway as more respiratory illnesses enter the picture: OPH

Ottawa Public Health says the city is entering another pandemic wave, one that parallels the expected rise of other respiratory viruses.

The city's pandemic trends have generally been rising since early-to-mid September.

In its weekly Thursday analysis, public health officials (OPH) said the average level of coronavirus in the city's wastewater and its COVID-19 test positivity are both considered high.

Its number of COVID outbreaks are moderate, but rising (they doubled from Sept. 13 to 27) and its number of residents hospitalized for active COVID is moderate and stable.

"We are also heading into the respiratory illness season where we expect respiratory viruses to be circulating," OPH tweeted.

"The same strategies we use to fight COVID-19 can help protect you from other viruses."

Those strategies include staying home when sick and following isolation guidance, considering wearing masks indoors and getting the added protection of a COVID vaccine, including the new, updated bivalent booster available to adults.

Ninety-four per cent of Ottawa adults have at least two doses, but only 69 per cent have at least three, and 25 per cent have a fourth.

Trends such as hospitalizations and the wastewater average didn't drop as much as previous ebbs between pandemic waves. As recently as three weeks ago, OPH was still telling residents the seventh wave wasn't over.