OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Quebec extends lockdown for Gatineau as COVID-19 cases rise
- Ottawa sees a 15th consecutive day with triple-digit COVID-19 cases
- COVID-19 forces the cancellation of Ottawa Bluesfest for the second straight summer
- COVID-19 outbreak in Kingston's University District involving residents aged 18 to 29
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 156 new cases on Thursday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 18,788
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 138
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 8.8 per cent (Mar. 31 to April 6)
- Reproduction Number: 1.05 (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.
- 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.
- COVID-19 Drive-Thru Assessment Centre at 300 Coventry Road: Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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
Quebec extends lockdown for Gatineau as COVID-19 cases rise
The Quebec government is extending the COVID-19 lockdown in Gatineau for another week as cases continue to rise in the region.
Premier Francois Legault announced the special emergency measures for Gatineau and the MRC des Collines-de-l'Outaouais will remain in place until April 18.
Under the lockdown rules, elementary and secondary schools continue with online learning and all non-essential businesses, including restaurants for indoor and patio dining, must remain closed.
The curfew will continue from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily.
Fifteenth straight day of more than 100 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa
Ottawa Public Health reported 156 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday, the lowest one-day increase in COVID-19 cases in the capital in a week.
Since the first case of COVID-19 on March 11, 2020, there have been 18,788 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 470 deaths.
The 156 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday follows 196 new cases on Wednesday, 176 new cases on Tuesday and 237 cases on Monday.
COVID-19 forces the cancellation of Ottawa Bluesfest for the second straight year
For the second straight summer, the COVID-19 pandemic will silence the Ottawa Bluesfest stages at LeBreton Flats.
Executive director Mark Monahan announced organizers "are not going to be able to proceed" with the popular festival in July.
"We’ve been working hard at trying to figure out a way to put on this year’s event, but we’ve simply run out of time, so we’re just going to have to move on," said Monahan in a statement Thursday afternoon.
Monahan adds "the good news" is that Rage Against The Machine, the original headliner of the 2020 festival before it was cancelled, will headline the 2022 festival on Friday, July 15, 2022.
COVID-19 outbreak in Kingston's University District involving residents aged 18 to 29
Queen's University is urging all students to avoid parties and large gatherings during Ontario's lockdown and stay-at-home order, after health officials declared a COVID-19 outbreak in Kingston's University District.
The Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health declared the outbreak Thursday afternoon among young adults aged 18 to 29 years old, saying they account for the majority of active COVID-19 cases in the region.
Of the 95 active cases of COVID-19 in the Kingston region on Thursday afternoon, 70 involve residents in the 18 to 29 age group living in the University District.
"We are facing a critical time in the fight against this virus. We are putting all measures in place, including stronger enforcement of the provincial shutdown and stay-at-home restrictions to limit the spread of this outbreak," said Dr. Kieran Moore, KFL&A's medical officer of health.
"Fines will be given if provincial restrictions are not adhered to—stay home, limit social interactions to those in your household, and avoid unnecessary trips outside your home."
