OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Ottawa police begin setting up checkpoints at all Ottawa-Gatineau interprovincial crossings to limit non-essential travel into Ontario
- Ontario expands use of AstraZeneca vaccine to people 40 and older
- COVID-19 hospitalizations in Ottawa reach 110 patients this weekend, with 30 in the ICU
- Two new cases of COVID-19 at city run long-term care home
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 283 new cases on Sunday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 21,835
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 217.8
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 10.5 per cent (April 7 to April 13)
- Reproduction Number: 1.03 (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.
- Southwest Ottawa COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Richmond Memorial Community Centre: Open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 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 police checkpoints at Ottawa-Gatineau crossings begin at 12:01 a.m. Monday
Ottawa police checkpoints are now set-up at all five interprovincial bridges and two ferry crossings linking Ottawa and the Outaouais, as part of new Ontario government restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Police say officers will be deployed 24 hours a day, seven days a week to limit non-essential travel by Ontario-bound travellers.
"We'll only be stopping Ontario-bound passengers. We're only going to be stopping private vehicles coming in from Quebec," said Insp. Michel Marin during a Sunday afternoon media briefing.
"Commercial vehicles such as tractor-trailers will not be stopped. There are a number of compassionate grounds that exempt them from having any type of control, and we'll be respecting those exemptions."
Ottawa police say you will be asked to provide your name, address and reason for travelling at the checkpoints. Insp. Marin says motorists, cyclists and pedestrians will not be required to provide documentation, such as a note from an employer or physician.
Ontario lowering age eligibility for AstraZeneca vaccine to 40
Ontarians aged 40 and over will soon be able to get the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at pharmacies.
A spokesperson for Health Minister Christine Elliott confirmed Ontario is expanding the eligibility to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
"I can confirm that based on current supply, Ontario will begin offering the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to individuals aged 40 and over at pharmacy and primary care settings across the province effective Tuesday," the spokesperson said.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is currently available only to adults aged 55 and older following a recommendation from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Ottawa reach 110 patients with 30 in ICU
Ottawa Public Health reported 283 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Sunday.
Since the first case of COVID-19 on March 11, 2020, there have been 21,835 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 482 deaths.
The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 related illnesses continues to rise.
On Sunday, Public Health reported 110 people in Ottawa-area hospitals with COVID-19, including 30 in the ICU.
Two new COVID-19 cases at city run long-term care home
All residents on the fourth floor of the Centre d'accueil Champlain long-term care home will be tested after two cases of COVID-19.
In a memo to Council Sunday afternoon, Community and Social Services general manager Donna Gray said a resident and an employee at the city-run long-term care home tested positive for novel coronavirus.
The fourth floor of the home has been placed on outbreak.
