the pressure at qch reflects the situation at many hospitals in ottawa and across canada as a covid-19 wave that started in late summer continues to grow, fueled by the highly contagious jn.1 variant. jn.1 now makes up about three-quarters of variants circulating in the province, public health ontario says.
quebec has seen occupancy rates at 200 per cent at some hospitals, an ongoing situation that led the province’s health minister to urge people to avoid emergency departments if possible.
levels of covid-19, influenza and rsv continue to be high in ottawa, according to ottawa public health, which on wednesday reported 39 new covid-19 hospitalizations and five additional deaths during the first week of 2024. it also reported 22 influenza hospitalizations and 13 new rsv (respiratory syncytial virus) hospitalizations during the same period.
tyson graber, associate scientist with the cheo research institute and co-lead investigator with ottawa’s coronavirus wastewater monitoring program, says the covid-19 wave that began in august is now closing in on the second largest wave since the pandemic began in 2020.
jean levac
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jean levac
tyson graber, associate scientist with the cheo research institute and co-lead investigator with ottawa’s coronavirus wastewater monitoring program, said he still wasn’t seeing signs that the covid-19 wave that began in august had peaked. it is now closing in on the second largest wave since the pandemic began in 2020, he said.
waves that have put pressures on health systems in europe and the united kingdom have peaked, graber said, and canada is often a few weeks behind that, which could mean high levels of covid-19 will continue for a few more weeks.