OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health says 62 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19, another jump compared to previous days.
OPH reported 48 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and 16 on Tuesday.
OPH said Thursday that there were 62 new positive test results in the city, lower than the 77 reported by Public Health Ontario, and that no new deaths were reported.
There have been 9,510 total lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa and 390 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
The new cases in Ottawa are among a record 2,447 new infections across Ontario. Forty-nine new deaths were also reported provincewide.
There are 646 new cases in Toronto, 502 in Peel, 263 in York Region and 173 in Windsor-Essex County, some of the province's lockdown zones.
A provincewide shutdown will move Ottawa to lockdown status at 12:01 a.m. Dec. 26.
OPH also said there are 15 COVID-19 patients in the city's hospitals, with none in intensive care. There were 18 people in hospitals on Wednesday.
Active cases are up to 349, from 329 on Wednesday. OPH says 8,771 people in Ottawa have had their COVID-19 cases resolve. Forty-two new recoveries were reported on Thursday.
OPH's COVID-19 dashboard will not be updating on Dec. 25 or Jan. 1.
OTTAWA COVID-19 STATUS: ORANGE-RESTRICT
Ottawa remains in the "Orange-Restrict" level under the provincial reopening framework. Ottawa moved into the restriction level on Nov. 7.
A provincewide lockdown will move Ottawa into lockdown status as of 12:01 a.m. Dec. 26.
The "Orange-Restrict" level is for areas with a weekly rate of new cases per 100,000 people of between 25 and 39.9, a positivity rate between 1.3 per cent and 2.4 per cent and a reproduction number of 1 to 1.1.
Here is where Ottawa stands on those metrics currently, according to Ottawa Public Health:
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 29.2
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.2 per cent (Dec. 14 to 20)
- Reproduction Number: 0.97 (seven day average as of Dec. 23)
The "Yellow-Protect" level requires a weekly rate of new cases per 100,000 people of between 10 and 24.9, a positivity rate between 0.5 per cent and 1.2 per cent and a reproduction number of "approximately 1", according to the province.
TESTING
Ontario health officials said 64,592 COVID-19 tests were performed across Ontario on Wednesday and 75,250 tests remain under investigation.
The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce says 1,925 swabs were taken at assessment centres on Wednesday and local labs performed 5,919 tests.
There are 3,475 tests still in progress as of Dec. 24. The positivity rate for Ottawa during the week of Dec. 14 to 20 was 1.2 per cent.
The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 40 hours.
CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION
Public Health Ontario is reporting the following in health units around eastern Ontario:
- Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 30 new cases
- Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 3 new cases
- Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 7 new cases
- Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 5 new cases
- Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 1 new case
The Quebec government reported nine new cases in the Outaouais region, which includes Gatineau.
INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS
Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 21 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.
A new outbreak was declared at the childcare centre attached to Terre-des-Jeunes school, which is also experiencing an outbreak.
There are four active community outbreaks, all linked to unidentified workplaces. OPH does not name which workplaces have outbreaks or how many cases are linked to each workplace outbreak.
To date, there have been 42 workplace outbreaks in Ottawa (4 active, 38 closed) accounting for 231 cases of COVID-19 and one death.
The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
- École élémentaire catholique Terre-des-Jeunes
- Grandir Ensemble child care at l'École Terre-des-Jeunes (NEW)
The long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and other spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
- Association Intégration Sociale d'Ottawa – 21034
- Besserer Place
- Bridlewood Trails Retirement Home
- Cité Parkway
- Courtyards on Eagleson
- Extendicare Medex
- Extendicare New Orchard Lodge
- Extendicare Starwood
- Extendicare West End Villa
- Group home - 27332
- Madonna Care Community
- Maison Accueil-Sagesse
- Manotick Place Retirement Home
- Maycourt Hospice
- Montfort Hospital - 3C, 4C
- Parkway House
- Rudy Shenkman Hospice
- Shelter - 27273
- Village at the Glebe Retirement Residence
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).
