OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health is reporting 325 more people in the city have tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, the highest figure ever reported locally since the start of the pandemic.

It follows a record-breaking 242 new COVID-19 cases reported in Ottawa by Ottawa Public Health on Friday.

There were 3,813 newly reported cases of COVID-19 across Ontario on Saturday. The province also reported 19 new deaths linked to the disease and 2,422 newly resolved cases. Public Health Ontario added 289 cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Saturday. Figures from OPH often differ from those from the province due to different data collection times for their respective reports.

In addition to a record-breaking number of new cases, OPH also reported four new deaths from COVID-19, including one new death linked to a variant of concern. 

According to OPH's COVID-19 dashboard, there have been 19,355 total laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa and 475 deaths since the pandemic began.

Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches posted on Twitter that this is a record we "don't want to keep breaking." 

"This shows the dire need for everyone to stay at home unless for essential reasons. Ottawa, we’ve lowered the curve before and together we can do it again," she wrote.

The number of known active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa has surged to 2,200. There are now 73 people in hospital and 24 in the ICU, both pandemic highs. One of the ICU patients is in their 20s, OPH reports. 

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

Ottawa entered Ontario's COVID-19 stay-at-home order at 12:01 a.m. April 8.

Ottawa Public Health data:

  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (March 31-April 6): 154.7
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 9.2 per cent (April 2-April 8)
  • Reproduction number: 1.08 (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 IN OTTAWA

As of April 9:

  • Dose 1 administered: 167,822 
  • Dose 2 administered: 27,395
  • Total doses received: 223,150

The city received 25,740 new doses of the Pfizer vaccine, 11,800 doses of the Moderna vaccine, and 11,200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine during the week of April 4.

Ottawa Public Health reports 157,037 Ottawa residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, accounting for 15 per cent of the population.

VARIANTS OF CONCERN

Ottawa Public Health data*:

  • Total B.1.1.7 (UK variant) cases: 23
  • Total B.1.351 (South Africa variant) cases: 6
  • Total P.1 (Brazil variant) cases: 0
  • Total variants of concern/mutation cases: 1,750
  • Deaths linked to variants/mutations: 7

*OPH notes that that VOC and mutation trends must be treated with caution due to the varying time required to complete VOC testing and/or genomic analysis following the initial positive test for SARS-CoV-2. Test results may be completed in batches and data corrections or updates can result in changes to case counts that may differ from past reports.

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

Ottawa Public Health reports 73 people are currently in Ottawa-area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses.

That's up from 71 people in hospital on Friday.

Twenty-four people are in the intensive care unit.

Of the people in hospital, three are in their 20s (one is in the ICU), four are in their 30s, five are in their 40s (one is in the ICU), 16 are in their 50s (six are in the ICU), 18 are in their 60s (nine are in the ICU), 15 are in their 70s (six are in the ICU), nine are in their 80s (one is in the ICU), and three are 90 or older.

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

The number of active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa continues to climb.

There are 2,200 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Saturday, up from 2,023 active cases on Friday. 

144 more Ottawa residents have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 16,680 resolved cases of COVID-19 in the capital.

The number of active cases is the number of total 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.

 

COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: 24 new cases (1,491 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: 48 new cases (2,469 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: 81 new cases (4,327 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: 65 new cases (2,834 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: 35 new cases (2,513 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: 29 new cases (2,304 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: 26 new cases (1,379 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: 15 new cases (802 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: Two new case (750 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: Zero new cases (483 total cases)
  • Unknown: 0 new cases (3 cases total)

COVID-19 TESTING IN OTTAWA

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce says 3,459 swabs were processed at assessment centres in Ottawa on April 8.

A total of 5,989 lab tests were performed in Ottawa on Thursday.

The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at an Ottawa assessment centre to the result is 29 hours.

The next update from the Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce will be released on Monday, April 12.

CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 23 cases
  • Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 18 cases
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 17 cases  
  • Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit:  12 cases
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 9 cases
  • Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 142 cases

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 34 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

New outbreaks were declared at three elementary schools in the city. An outbreak at St. Gabriel elementary school has ended with four student cases total.

There are 13 active community outbreaks: Seven outbreaks are linked to restaurants, two outbreaks are linked to services workplaces, one is linked to retail, one is linked to a private social event, one linked to a health workplace and one is linked to construction.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Centrepointe Home Daycare (March 26)
  2. St. Leonard Elementary School (March 30)
  3. St. Isidore Elementary School (March 31)
  4. Connaught Public School (April 2)
  5. Sacred Heart High School (April 3)
  6. École secondaire publique Louis-Riel (April 3)
  7. Featherston Drive Public School (April 6)
  8. Sawmill Creek Elementary School (April 6)
  9. Centre Educatif La Clementine (April 6) 
  10. St. Dominic elementary school (April 7) 
  11. Ecole elementaire catholique De La Decouverte (April 7) 
  12. John McCrae Secondary School (April 8) 
  13. Ecole secondaire catholique Beatrice-Desloges (April 8) 
  14. Adrienne Clarkson Elementary School (April 8) NEW
  15. Ecole elementaire catholique St. Guillaume (April 8) NEW
  16. Ecole elementaire publique Michaelle Jean (April 8) NEW

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

  1. The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (Feb. 19)
  2. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 12)
  3. St. Vincent Hospital (March 15)
  4. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 16)
  5. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 21)
  6. Supported Independent Living (March 23)
  7. Longfields Manor (March 24)
  8. St. Vincent Hospital - 4N (March 26)
  9. St. Vincent Hospital - 5N (March 26)
  10. Sisters of Charity (March 28)
  11. Hillel Lodge (March 30)
  12. Group Home A-11533 (March 31)
  13. Queensway Carleton Hospital (April 2)
  14. Group Home A-11965 (April 3)
  15. William E. Hay Centre (April 3)
  16. Park Place (April 4)
  17. Viva Barrhaven Retirement Community (April 5)
  18. General Campus Warehouse (April 6)

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, two children or staff or household member cases of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 within a 14-day period where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the childcare establishment is considered an outbreak in a childcare establishment.

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).

Two staff or patient cases of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 within a specified hospital unit within a 14-day period where both cases could have reasonably acquired their infection in hospital is considered an outbreak in a public hospital.