Cut-offs for weekly levels and comparison with previous week have been established using indicator data from previous respiratory seasons in Renfrew County and District and will be routinely reviewed, assessed, and updated as needed throughout the 2023/2024 respiratory season. The indicators and definitions may also be revised.
Indicator Details
The following section provides detailed information on the indicators found in the Respiratory Illness Data Summary.
New respiratory outbreaks in healthcare and congregate institutions:
Definition
Number of new respiratory outbreaks declared in healthcare (i.e. long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals) and congregate (i.e. group homes, shelters) institutions in the past week. Includes COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other respiratory outbreaks.
Data source
- COVID-19 outbreaks: The provincial Case and Contact Management (CCM) solution, Ministry of Health
- Influenza, RSV and other respiratory outbreaks: The integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS), Ministry of Health
Weekly level cut-offs
Based on distribution (approximate quartile cut-offs) of local data for last respiratory season (September 2022 – August 2023)
- Low= 0 outbreaks
- Moderate= 1 outbreak
- High= 2 to 3 outbreaks
- Very high= 4 outbreaks or more
Comparison with previous week cut-offs
Based on differences exceeding the 66th percentile of historical weekly differences for past 2 respiratory seasons (January – August 2022 and September 2022 – August 2023)
- Lower = Any decrease to 0 or a decrease of 2 outbreaks or more
- Similar = A change between -1 and 1 outbreak
- Higher = Any increase from 0 or an increase of 2 outbreaks or more
New hospital admissions for COVID-19:
Definition
Number of new COVID-19 hospitalizations by RCD residents in the past week
Data source
The provincial Case and Contact Management (CCM) solution, Ministry of Health
Data considerations
Categorized using start date of hospital admission (or reported date of case if start date of hospital admission not available). Includes hospital and ICU admissions of RCD residents to both local and non-local hospitals, but excludes admissions by non-RCD residents to local hospitals. Does not include emergency department visits.
Weekly level cut-offs
Based on distribution (approximate quartile cut-offs) of local data for last respiratory season (September 2022 – August 2023)
- Low = 0 to 1 admission
- Moderate = 2 admissions
- High = 3 to 4 admissions
- Very high = 5 admissions or more
Comparison with previous week cut-offs
Based on differences exceeding the 66th percentile of historical weekly differences for past 2 respiratory seasons (January-August 2022 and September 2022-August 2023)
- Lower = Any decrease to 0 or a decrease of 2 admissions or more
- Similar = A change between -1 and 1 admissions
- Higher = Any increase from 0 or an increase of 2 admissions or more
COVID-19 percent (%) positivity
Definition
Percent of all COVID-19 molecular tests processed in the past week which have a positive result.
Data source
Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS) from the Ministry of Health (Capacity Planning and Analytics Division) SAS Visual Analytics Hub
Data considerations
Includes reports submitted to the Ontario Laboratory Information System (OLIS). Not all laboratories report to OLIS and only individuals with health card numbers are included in the OLIS dataset. Does not include results from rapid antigen tests (RAT) tests. For information of current testing eligibility, visit the Ministry of Health’s COVID‑19 testing and treatment.
Weekly level cut-offs
Based on distribution (approximate quartile cut-offs) of local data for past 2 respiratory seasons (January-August 2022 and September 2022 – August 2023)
- Low = Under 7.0% positivity
- Moderate = 7.0 to 9.9% positivity
- High = 10.0 to 12.9% positivity
- Very high = 13.0% positivity or higher
Comparison with previous week cut-offs
Based on differences exceeding the 66th percentile of historical weekly differences for past 2 respiratory seasons (January-August 2022 and September 2022 – August 2023)
- Lower = Any decrease to 0 or a decrease of 3.0% or more
- Similar = A change between -2.9% and 2.9%
- Higher = Any increase from 0 or an increase of 3.0% or more
Influenza percent (%) positivity
Definition
Percent of all influenza tests (influenza A and B) processed in the past week which have a positive result
Data source
Public Health Ontario Laboratories
Data considerations
For information of current testing eligibility, visit the Public Health Ontario Respiratory Viruses (including influenza) webpage.
Weekly level cut-offs
Based on the thresholds for influenza percent positivity levels used in the Ontario Respiratory Virus Tool by Public Health Ontario (described in the Technical Notes). Local data too variable and sporadic to establish meaningful cut-offs.
- Low = Under 10.0% positivity
- Moderate = 10.0 to 24.9% positivity
- High = 25.0 to 39.9% positivity
- Very high = 40.0% positivity or higher
Comparison with previous week cut-offs
Based on the comparison with previous week cut-offs for COVID-19 percent (%) positivity for consistency across indicators related to percent positivity. Local data too variable and sporadic to establish meaningful cut-offs.
- Lower = Any decrease to 0 or a decrease of 3.0% or more
- Similar = A change between -2.9% and 2.9%
- Higher = Any increase from 0 or an increase of 3.0% or more
Respiratory-related emergency department (ED) visits
Definition
Percentage of all ED visits by RCD residents that are specifically for respiratory-related concerns in the past week (syndrome = RESP)
Data source
The Acute Care Enhances Surveillance Application (ACES), KFL&A Public Health
Data considerations
Includes data from most local emergency departments and non-local emergency departments that RCD residents may visit.
ACES, or Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance (ACES), is an Ontario-wide system that monitors hospital registration records in real time to identify potential disease outbreaks or other public health threats. It uses natural language processing to scan the words or phrases included in the “chief complaint” or “reason for admission” and to sort the records into “syndromes”. Monitoring syndromes in real time can identify an outbreak much faster than is possible using laboratory results, but syndromes are not clinical diagnoses and therefore need to be interpreted with care.
Weekly level cut-offs
Based on distribution (approximate quartile cut-offs) of local data for last respiratory season (September 2022 – August 2023)
- Low = Less than 9.0% of visits
- Moderate = 9.0 to 10.9%% of visits
- High = 11.0 to 13.9% of visits
- Very high = 14.0% of visits or higher
For more information on respiratory-related emergency department visits in Ontario, visit KFL&A’s Viral Respiratory Mapper.
Comparison with previous week cut-offs
Based on differences exceeding the 66th percentile of historical weekly differences for last respiratory season (September 2022 – August 2023)
- Lower = Any decrease to 0 or a decrease of 1.5% or more
- Similar = A change between -1.5% and 1.5%
- Higher = Any increase from 0 or an increase of 1.5% or more
COVID-19 wastewater signal (Pembroke)
COVID-19 wastewater signal (Petawawa)
Definition
Weekly average concentrations of viral COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) N1N2 gene copies per milliliter divided by copies per milliliter of the pepper mild mottle virus (PPMoV), a seasonally stable biological marker. Weekly averages are typically based on 3 to 5 samples.
Data source
RCDHU appreciates the support and collaboration of Ontario Wastewater Surveillance Initiative partners that make the collection, analysis, and sharing of local wastewater data possible. Wastewater samples are collected by the Pembroke Pollution Control Centre and the Petawawa Wastewater Treatment Facility and analyzed at Carleton University. Data is uploaded to the Ontario Wastewater Surveillance Initiative Data and Visualization Hub (Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks).
Data considerations
Wastewater sampling in RCD is currently limited to Pembroke and Petawawa wastewater treatment plants, which service 30% of RCDHU’s total population. As such, trends in wastewater may not necessarily reflect COVID-19 levels in RCD overall and should be interpreted with caution.
For more information on COVID-19 wastewater surveillance in Ontario and for Eastern Region public health units (where Renfrew County and District is situated), visit COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance in Ontario.
Weekly level cut-offs
Based on distribution (quartile cut-offs) of local data for past 2 respiratory seasons (January-August 2022 and September 2022 – August 2023)
Pembroke
- Low= Less than 0.006
- Moderate= 0.006 to 0.013
- High= 0.014 to 0.025
- Very high= 0.026 or higher
Petawawa
- Low= Less than 0.005
- Moderate= 0.005 to 0.008
- High= 0.009 to 0.018
- Very high= 0.019 or higher
Comparison with previous week cut-offs
Based on differences exceeding the 66th percentile of historical weekly differences for past 2 respiratory seasons (January – August 2022 and September 2022 – August 2023)
Pembroke
- Lower= A decrease of 0.010 or more
- Similar= A change between -0.009 and 0.009
- Higher= An increase of 0.010 or more
Petawawa
- Lower= A decrease of 0.007 or more
- Similar= A change between -0.006 and 0.006
- Higher= An increase of 0.007 or more
