• Hospitalizations rise in Ottawa and the wider region.

• Ottawa and the Outaouais report COVID-19 deaths.

Today's Ottawa update

There are currently 24 Ottawa residents with COVID-19 in local hospitals, three more than reported Sunday, and more than double the 10 reported one week ago. Four people with COVID-19 remain in an ICU.

The case count has surged to record levels in many places this winter — and the actual number of cases is much higher here and elsewhere as the Omicron variant's spread overwhelms and limits testing.

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is reporting 968 more confirmed COVID-19 cases and one COVID-19 death on Monday.

The rate of COVID-19 tests for eligible people coming back positive rises to 36.3 per cent. The rolling seven-day average of new confirmed COVID-19 cases expressed per 100,000 residents climbs above 600 despite those testing limits.

OPH hasn't yet given a COVID-19 vaccine update Monday.

Across the region

The wider region has more than 110 COVID-19 hospitalizations as of noon ET, which has more than doubled in less than two weeks, and nearly 22,000 known active cases even with testing limits.

Most health units are giving their first updates of 2022 on Monday:

• Quebec reports 35 COVID-19 hospital patients in the Outaouais, up from 23 in its last report Dec. 30. It confirmed nearly 4,100 cases over four days and its first COVID-19 death since October.

• The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit reports 12 COVID-19 hospitalizations and five COVID ICU patients, which is up from six and two respectively on Dec. 30. It confirmed 766 more cases over four days.

• Renfrew County's health unit reported 281 more cases over three days.