There is not much to report on the COVID front because most of the official data sources from which I draw the statistical public health information publish bi-weekly and this was the off week. The only updates that were available were those from Ontario Public Health and the compilation of national municipal wastewater PCR test results. Likewise, The more independent health statisticians at COVID-19 Resources Canada have not yet updated their last report of several weeks ago, which then estimated one in every 280 Ontarians being currently infected and therefore infectious.
The Canada-wide municipal wastewater COVID testing curve continues its very slow rise from their early-June seasonal low. What’s most relevant is that viral counts are running at only a third of what was measured last year at this time.
Ontario PCR COVID testing results continue to fluctuate around 1% positivity, which is less than a sixth of what they were running a year ago. That is consistent with Ontario COVID hospitalizations, which are about 20% of last year’s numbers.
Next week’s report should be more interesting as I’m looking forward to Public Health Canada’s update on currently-circulating COVID variants given the unusually rapid changes in the relative “market shares” of the competing families of Omicron variants, as well as the arrival of new strains.