OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health is reporting another 329 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and three more residents have died.

This comes after a one-day dip below 200 in the local case count on Tuesday, a day which typically sees lower than average case counts due to lower testing over the weekend.

Ottawa Public Health's COVID-19 dashboard now shows a total of 20,596 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Ottawa and 479 residents have died since the pandemic began.

There were 4,156 new cases of COVID-19 reported across Ontario on Wednesday. The province also reported 28 new deaths and 3,160 newly resolved cases. The province added 340 cases in Ottawa. Figures from OPH often differ from those provided by the province because of different data collection times.

The number of known active cases in the city continues to rise after a slight decrease on Tuesday, and the weekly incidence rate per 100,000 population is now nearly 200. The testing positivity rate is at its highest level since the first wave, surpassing 10 per cent on Wednesday.

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 (April 6-12): 195.1
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 10.6 per cent (April 7-13)
  • Reproduction number: 1.23 (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 12:

  • Dose 1 administered: 208,017 (+17,460)
  • Dose 2 administered: 28,146 (+355)
  • Total doses received: 250,990 (+25,740)

The city has received 2,100 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and 25,740 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine so far this week.

VARIANTS OF CONCERN

Ottawa Public Health data*:

  • Total B.1.1.7 (UK variant) cases: 25
  • Total B.1.351 (South Africa variant) cases: 6
  • Total P.1 (Brazil variant) cases: 0
  • Total variants of concern/mutation cases: 2,174
  • Deaths linked to variants/mutations: 9 

*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 92 people are currently in Ottawa-area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses.

That's down from 95 people in hospital on Tuesday and a peak of 96 on Monday.

Twenty-three people are in the intensive care unit, down from 30.

Of the people in hospital, two are in their 20s (one is in the ICU), seven are in their 30s (two are in the ICU), five are in their 40s (two are in the ICU), 22 are in their 50s (seven are in the ICU), 23 are in their 60s (seven are in the ICU), 21 are in their 70s (five 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 is on the rise after a very brief decline on Tuesday.

There are 2,755 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, up from 2,617 active cases on Tuesday and 2,619 active cases on Monday.

188 more Ottawa residents have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 17,362 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 TESTING IN OTTAWA

The most recent update from the Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce said that 2,691 swabs were processed at local assessment centres on Monday and labs performed 4,113 tests.

The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 24 hours.

The next update from the task force is due this afternoon.

The Ontario government says 54,211 COVID-19 tests were completed across the province on Tuesday.

COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: 23 new cases (1,604 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: 28 new cases (2,598 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: 78 new cases (4,629 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: 58 new cases (3,055 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: 44 new cases (2,687 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: 52 new cases (2,453 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: 27 new cases (1,467 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: 13 new cases (852 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: 2 new cases (760 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: 4 new cases (488 total cases)
  • Unknown: 0 new cases (3 cases total)

CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 37 cases
  • Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 20 cases
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 15 cases
  • Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 18 cases
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 1 case removed from total count
  • Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 207 cases

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 40 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

The deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus that began in February has officially ended. Between Feb. 19 and April 13, 28 patients and 20 staff members contracted COVID-19 and nine patients died.

New outbreaks were declared at four local schools on Wednesday.

There are 10 active community outbreaks: four outbreaks are linked to restaurants, two outbreaks are linked to construction workplaces, one outbreak is linked to a religious or spiritual organization, one outbreak is linked to a private social event, one outbreak is linked to sports & recreation, and one is linked to a retail workplace.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. St. Leonard Elementary School (March 30)
  2. Kanata Research Park Family Centre (April 1)
  3. Connaught Public School (April 2)
  4. Centre Educatif La Clementine (April 6)
  5. Sawmill Creek Elementary School (April 6)
  6. École élémentaire catholique De La Decouverte (April 7)
  7. Adrienne Clarkson Elementary School (April 8)
  8. École élémentaire publique Michaëlle Jean (April 8)
  9. École secondaire catholique Beatrice-Desloges (April 8)
  10. John McCrae Secondary School (April 8)
  11. Blossom Park Public School (April 9)
  12. École élémentaire catholique George-Étienne Cartier (April 9)
  13. Mary Honeywell Elementary School (April 9)
  14. Edelweiss Private Academy (April 10)
  15. Glen Ogilvie Public School (April 10)
  16. Assumption catholic elementaty school (April 11) 
  17. Immaculata High School (April 11) 
  18. St. Peter High School (April 11) 
  19. Elgin Street Public School (April 12) NEW
  20. École secondaire catholique Beatrice-Desloges (April 12) NEW
  21. Turnbull School (April 13) NEW
  22. École élémentaire catholique des Voyageurs (April 13) NEW

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

  1. St. Vincent Hospital (March 15)
  2. Supported Independent Living (March 23)
  3. St. Vincent Hospital - 4N (March 26)
  4. St. Vincent Hospital - 5N (March 26)
  5. Sisters of Charity (March 28)
  6. Hillel Lodge (March 30)
  7. Group Home A-11533 (March 31)
  8. Queensway Carleton Hospital (April 2)
  9. Forest Hill Long-term Care Home (April 3) 
  10. William E. Hay Centre (April 3)
  11. Park Place Retirement Home (April 4)
  12. Viva Barrhaven Retirement Community (April 5)
  13. Chartwell Heritage Retirement Home (April 6) 
  14. General Campus Warehouse (April 6)
  15. Supported Independent Living home (April 9)
  16. Group Home A-12737 (April 10)
  17. Extendicare Medex Long-term Care Home (April 11) 
  18. Group Home A-13005 (April 12) 

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.