OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health is reporting 58 more people in the city have tested positive for COVID-19.

It's a slight increase over figures released on Friday, but it's also the 16th day in a row that Ottawa has seen fewer than 100 new cases. 

The city has seen 13,597 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

No new deaths were reported on Saturday, leaving the city's pandemic death toll at 422 residents.

Weekly trends have been on the decline lately, with Ottawa seeing its lowest positivity rate since Christmas this week. Saturday's update pushed the weekly per capita case rate to just under 30 cases per 100,000 residents, according to Ottawa Public Health data.

Ontario reported 1,388 new cases of COVID-19 provincewide on Saturday, along with 45 new deaths and 1,796 newly resolved cases.

There was a smaller number of newly resolved cases reported by OPH meaning the number of known active cases increased slightly. The number of active cases remains below 500, however.

OTTAWA'S COVID-19 KEY STATISTICS

Ottawa Public Health moved Ottawa into its red zone in early January.

A provincial stay-at-home order has been in effect since Jan. 14, 2021.

Ottawa Public Health data:

  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 29.6 cases (down from 30.5 cases on Friday and 31.8 cases on Thursday)
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.6 per cent
  • Reproduction number: 0.90 (seven day average)

Reproduction values greater than 1 indicate the virus is spreading and each case infects more than one contact. If it is less than 1, it means spread is slowing. 

VACCINES

As of Feb. 5

  • Vaccine doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 28,567*
  • Vaccine doses delivered to Ottawa: 30,225

*OPH says staff were able to extract additional doses out of several vials, which were given to residents. In a statement on its dashboard, OPH said, "Vaccine inventory is based on an expected 5 dose per vial supply. Occasionally, an additional dose (6th dose) is successfully extracted and administered to clients."

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

The number of people with known active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa increased on Saturday for the first time since Jan. 16.

Ottawa Public Health reported 450 active cases of COVID-19 on Friday, up from 438 active cases on Friday. The number of active cases had been steadily falling since peaking at 1,286 on Jan. 16, 2021.

The increase in the active case count is due to a lower number of newly resolved cases. OPH added 46 new resolved cases to its total count, which is now at 12,725.

The number of active cases is the number of total laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 minus the numbers of resolved cases and deaths. A case is considered resolved 14 days after known symptom onset or positive test result.

 

HOSPITALIZATIONS

The number of people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 fell to 26 on Saturday from 28 on Friday, but the number of people in the ICU increased to six, from five on Friday.

Of the people in hospital, one is under the age of 10, one is in their 40s (this person is in the ICU), three are in their 50s, six are in their 60s (three are in the ICU), three are in their 70s (one is in the ICU), seven are in their 80s (one is in the ICU), and five are 90 or older.

CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: Zero new cases (992 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: Three new cases (1,684 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: 13 new cases (2,905 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: 14 new cases (1,889 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: 13 new cases (1,774 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: Eight new cases (1,633 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: Four new cases (993 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: Four new cases (610 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: Zero new cases (675 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: Zero new cases (439 total cases)

The ages of three people with COVID-19 are unknown. One person's age has been confirmed and has been added to the list above.

COVID-19 TESTING

Ontario health officials say 62,341 COVID-19 tests were completed across the province on Friday and 31,924 tests remain under investigation.

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce said, 1,029 swabs were taken at local assessment centres on Thursday and labs performed 6,695 tests. The next update for local testing figures will be on Monday, Feb. 8.

Ottawa's testing positivity rate for the week of Jan. 29 to Feb. 4 was 1.6 per cent.

CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 12 new cases
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health: 0 new cases
  • Leeds, Grenville & Lanark Public Health: 1 new case
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 0 new cases
  • CISSS de l'Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 17 new cases 

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 23 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

Two new outbreaks were declared on Saturday, at a La Clementine education centre at Marie-Curie school and at a local shelter.

Several outbreaks have ended, including at Laurier Manor, West End Villa, Forest Hill, Couvent Mont-Saint-Joseph, and a local group home.

There are two active community outbreaks, linked to a health workplace and a warehouse.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Andrew Fleck Children's Services Home Child Care – 29580
  2. Bishop Hamilton Montessori School
  3. Centre educatif La Clementine (École Marie-Curie) (NEW)
  4. Cornerstone Children's Centre
  5. Greely Elementary School
  6. Playtime Daycare Centre – Licensed Childcare

The long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and other spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Garden Terrace
  2. Garry J. Armstrong long-term care home
  3. Group Home – 29052
  4. Group Home – 32432
  5. Heritage Retirement
  6. Manoir Marochel 
  7. Oakpark Retirement Community
  8. Residence St. Louis 
  9. Richmond Care Home
  10. Shelter - 28778
  11. Shelter - 29677
  12. Shelter - 29770
  13. Shelter - 29860
  14. Shelter - 32296 (NEW)
  15. St. Patrick's Home
  16. Valley Stream Retirement Residence
  17. Villa Marconi

A single laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 in a resident or staff member of a long-term care home, retirement home or shelter triggers an outbreak response, according to Ottawa Public Health. In childcare settings, a single confirmed, symptomatic case in a staff member, home daycare provider, or child triggers an outbreak.

Under provincial guidelines, a COVID-19 outbreak in a school is defined as two or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in students and/or staff in a school with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the school (including transportation and before or after school care).