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

Fast Facts:

  • Ottawa broke a daily case count record for the third day in a row on Sunday.
  • The province has announced dozens of additional pharmacies that will soon be administered COVID-19 vaccines.
  • River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington says he'd like to see bylaw step up enforcement of the stay-at-home order at city parks.

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

  • New COVID-19 cases: 370 new cases on Sunday
  • Total COVID-19 cases: 19,725
  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 163.1
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 9.2 per cent (April 2 to April 8)
  • Reproduction Number: 1.20 (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

Record-setting case surge continues

Ottawa set a pandemic record for the third day in a row on Sunday.

Ottawa Public Health reported 370 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in residents, the highest figure yet throughout the pandemic. It follows 325 new cases on Saturday and 242 new cases on Friday.

No new deaths were announced on Sunday. The local death toll stands at 475.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital is also at record levels with 81 people hospitalized with COVID-19. A third of them, 26 to be exact, are in intensive care.

 

More pharmacies will soon offer AstraZeneca vaccine

The Ontario government released a list of dozens of additional pharmacies that it says will soon be offering AstraZeneca vaccines to residents 55 and older.

There are currently 34 pharmacies in Ottawa taking appointments for vaccinations, but the newly named pharmacies will bring that last to 113 across the city.

However, 79 newly-named pharmacies are not yet offering vaccines. The province said that they would be ready starting this week, but specific dates are not available.

You are encouraged to visit Ontario's list of locations to find a pharmacy nearest to you if you wish to book a vaccination appointment. As more pharmacies are ready to offer appointments, they will appear on the list.

COVID-19 vaccine Ottawa pharmacy

Ottawa councillor wants to step up Bylaw enforcement at local parks

The unseasonably warm temperatures over the weekend had many outdoors and it brought crowds to the parks, including at Ottawa's Mooney's Bay.

But reports of large crowds gathering on the first weekend of Ontario's 28-day stay-at-home order have some residents concerned.

"Green spaces are open," said River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington. "We do want people to get outside but get outside responsibly."

Brockington drove by Mooney's Bay on Saturday afternoon, after hearing complaints from residents about large gatherings in the park.

"There were a lot of people here," he said.

Last summer, there was daily bylaw presence and enforcement, which Brockington said will continue this year; however, he wants that presence now.

"The challenge is, it still being early April, our staffing is not up and running yet," he said. "There still isn't a presence yet from the city or Ottawa bylaw for the park but we need it." 

Mooney's Bay