Ottawa researchers are using a new tool to monitor the spread of COVID in the city — and it is telling them that a fall pandemic wave is beginning.
Ottawa became the first location in the country to track and publicly report health worker absenteeism due to COVID-19 as a way to measure spread of the virus in the community. Because health workers are tested frequently, the data offers a way to monitor COVID-19 trends.Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Ottawa SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
Similar to wastewater surveillance, health care absences due to COVID-19 offer a way to understand the amount of transmission in the community, at a time when testing is limited, said Manuel.Article content But their absences have implications for the struggling health system, where critical staff shortages are now both widespread and disruptive.