OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- A month-long shutdown begins in Ottawa and across Ontario, imposing new restrictions on social gatherings, restaurants, gyms, personal care services and businesses
- Ottawa opens new COVID-19 vaccination appointments for residents aged 70 and over
- Ottawa Public Health reported a ninth straight day with triple-digit COVID-19 case numbers
- The Outaouais sees a new one-day record for COVID-19 cases on Friday, the first day of new restrictions in the region
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 175 new cases on Friday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 17,585
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 97.2
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 6.5 per cent (Mar. 26 to April 1)
- Reproduction Number: 1.13 (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
Saturday, April 3
- COVID-19 Care and Testing Centre - Moodie: 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- COVID-19 CHEO Assessment Centre and Kids Come First Care Clinic at Brewer Arena: 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- COVID-19 Assessment Centre for Adults at Brewer Park Arena: 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- COVID-19 Drive-Thru Assessment Centre at NAC: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, April 4
- COVID-19 Care and Testing Centre - Moodie: 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- COVID-19 Testing Centre – Ray Friel – 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- COVID-19 CHEO Assessment Centre and Kids Come First Care Clinic at Brewer Arena: 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- COVID-19 Assessment Centre for Adults at Brewer Park Arena: 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- COVID-19 Drive-Thru Assessment Centre at NAC: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Monday, April 5
- COVID-19 Care and Testing Centre - Moodie: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- COVID-19 Care and Testing Centre – Ray Friel: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- COVID-19 CHEO Assessment Centre and Kids Come First Care Clinic at Brewer Arena: 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- COVID-19 Assessment Centre for Adults at Brewer Park Arena: 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Centretown Community Health Centre: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Sandy Hill Community Health Centre: 9 a.m. to 3:30 pm.
- Somerset West Community Health Centre: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- The drive-thru COVID-19 assessment centre at the NAC is closed April 5 and 6.
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
One month shutdown begins in Ottawa and across Ontario
A four-week, province-wide shutdown begins in Ottawa and across Ontario today.
The Ontario government imposed the province-wide "emergency brake" at 12:01 a.m., as a result of an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Under the rules, indoor gatherings are prohibited, while outdoor gatherings are capped at a maximum of five people. Indoor and patio dining at bars and restaurants is prohibited, while gyms, fitness centres and personal care services must close.
"We put our citizens through a lot. We're travelling down a road where we don't really have a roadmap, we haven't dealt with a pandemic and obviously there's been a lot of challenges on some of the fronts," said Mayor Jim Watson during an interview on CTV News at Six.
"We're a resilient group of people here in the nation's capital, I have great confidence they will respect the rules so that we can get rid of this lockdown in four weeks, and quite frankly start to live a little bit with a better summer and better fall of this year."
175 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on the eve of new Ontario shutdown
Ottawa Public Health reported 175 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, the ninth straight day with triple-digit COVID-19 case numbers.
No new deaths linked to the virus were announced.
Since the first case of COVID-19 on March 11, 2020, there have been 17,585 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 466 deaths.
Ottawa's COVID-19 positivity rate increased to 6.5 per cent for the previous seven days. The COVID-19 incidence rate jumped to 97.2 cases per 100,000, up from 92.3 cases.
Ottawa will receive 89,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine over the next two weeks, opens new appointments for residents 70 and older
The city of Ottawa has opened more appointment slots for residents aged 70 and older to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
In a statement Friday morning, the city said it has confirmed delivery of additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and is able to offer more vaccination appointments to eligible residents.
"We're received, for the next two weeks, a little over 89,000 doses for our community clinics in the various communities, that's very good news," said Watson in an interview with CTV News at Six anchor Christina Succi on Friday.
To book an appointment, you can visit Ontario's online booking system or call the provincial vaccine booking line at 1-833-943-3900 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., seven days a week.
Gatineau retailers react to first day of lockdown
A record 143 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Outaouais on Friday, the first full day for new restrictions in the region.
The Outaouais has seen 7,803 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, with the majority of the cases in Gatineau.
"It certainly is concerning," said Dr. Matthew Oughton, Assistant Professor of Medicine at McGill University and infectious disease physician.
"This surge in cases seems to be driven by these more transmissible variants and these variants are more infectious," he added.
For local retailers, the shutdown comes at an inopportune time.
"Last year, in April, we lost 30 to 40 per cent of our business, easily. I think this year it will be even worse because there’s more people running, more people into it, so I think it’s going to affect us a little more," said Alain Poirier, owner of La Foulée Sportif.
The Outaouais moved into the Level 4-Maximum Alert red zone at 8 p.m. Thursday, while the Quebec government has imposed a 10-day lockdown on Gatineau and the MRC des-Collines-de-l'Outaouais due to rising COVID-19 cases.
