OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.

Fast Facts:

  • Ottawa sees record one-day increase in new cases of COVID-19
  • Ottawa's medical officer of health says Saturday's COVID-19 case count is "a record we don't want to keep breaking"
  • Appointments at Ottawa's COVID-19 vaccination community clinics are "temporarily fully booked"
  • COVID-19 testing offered for asymptomatic education workers and students during the April break

COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):

  • New COVID-19 cases: 325 new cases on Saturday
  • Total COVID-19 cases: 19,355
  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 154.7
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 9.2 per cent (April 2 to April 8)
  • Reproduction Number: 1.08 (seven day average)

Testing:

Who should get a test?

Ottawa Public Health says you can get a COVID-19 test at an assessment centre, care clinic, or community testing site if any of the following apply to you:

  • You are showing COVID-19 symptoms;
  • You have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus, as informed by Ottawa Public Health or exposure notification through the COVID Alert app;
  • You are a resident or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by Ottawa Public Health;
  • You are a resident, a worker or a visitor to long-term care, retirement homes, homeless shelters or other congregate settings (for example: group homes, community supported living, disability-specific communities or congregate settings, short-term rehab, hospices and other shelters);
  • You are a person who identifies as First Nations, Inuit or Métis;
  • You are a person travelling to work in a remote First Nations, Inuit or Métis community;
  • You received a preliminary positive result through rapid testing;
  • You require testing 72 hours before a scheduled (non-urgent or emergent) surgery (as recommended by your health care provider);
  • You are a patient and/or their 1 accompanying escort tra­velling out of country for medical treatment;
  • You are an international student that has passed their 14-day quarantine period;
  • You are a farm worker;
  • You are an educator who cannot access pharmacy-testing; or
  • You are in a targeted testing group as outlined in guidance from the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Ottawa:

There are several sites for COVID-19 testing in Ottawa. To book an appointment, visit https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/shared-content/assessment-centres.aspx

  • The Brewer Ottawa Hospital/CHEO Assessment Centre: Open Monday to Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  • COVID-19 Drive-Thru Assessment Centre at 300 Coventry Road: Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • The Moodie Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Open Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (testing only)
  • The Heron Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (testing only)
  • COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Howard Darwin Centennial Arena: Open daily 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
  • Centretown Community Health Centre: Open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Sandy Hill Community Health Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 pm.
  • Somerset West Community Health Centre: Open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Wednesday.

Vaccine eligibility screening tool:

To check and see if you are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Ottawa, click here

COVID-19 screening tool:

The COVID-19 screening tool for students heading back to in-person classes can be found here.

Symptoms:

Classic Symptoms: fever, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath

Other symptoms: sore throat, difficulty swallowing, new loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, pneumonia, new or unexplained runny nose or nasal congestion

Less common symptoms: unexplained fatigue, muscle aches, headache, delirium, chills, red/inflamed eyes, croup

Ottawa sees record high 325 COVID-19 cases Saturday

Ottawa Public Health reported 325 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Saturday, a one-day record for new cases of novel coronavirus.

It follows 242 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, the previous one-day record.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, 2020, Ottawa Public Health has reported 19,355 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 475 deaths.

There are 73 people in hospital.

 

"A record we don't want to keep breaking"

On the day Ottawa set a new record for COVID-19 cases, the medical officer of health urged everyone to stay home.

"Today we are reporting that 325 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 - a record we don't want to keep breaking," said Dr. Vera Etches in a statement on Twitter.

"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."

Appointments at Ottawa's COVID-19 vaccination community clinics 'temporarily fully booked'

Eligible Ottawa residents will have to wait for the city of Ottawa to receive more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine before booking an appointment.

The city of Ottawa announced Saturday night that there are currently no new appointments available to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the four mass vaccination clinics.

Residents 60 and over across Ottawa are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at community vaccination clinics in Ottawa.

On Friday, Ontario opened up eligibility to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to residents aged 50 and older who live in certain "hot spots."

COVID-19 vaccine Ottawa immunization clinic

COVID-19 tests for asymptomatic education workers, students offered during April break

Asymptomatic teachers, education workers, students and children in child care can be tested for COVID-19 over the spring break.

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Task Force says staff and students will be temporarily eligible for COVID-19 tests at select pharmacies and at mobile testing clinics targeting schools in priority areas between April 12 and 19.

The blitz is aimed at "support(ing) a safe return to in-person learning following the April break," the task force said.

Visit Ontario's COVID-19 assessment centre locations website and select "pharmacies" for a current list of pharmacies offering COVID-19 testing.

COVID-19 test swab