COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Aug. 14, 2021

Downtown Ottawa on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

OTTAWA -

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

Fast Facts:

• COVID-19 vaccines to be mandatory for federal public service, most air and rail travellers
• Ottawa's key COVID-19 indicators continue to rise
• Ottawa reaches 75 per cent of residents 12 and older fully vaccinated
• Ottawa Redblacks support calls for a proof of COVID-19 vaccination system in Ontario

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

• New COVID-19 cases: 21 new cases on Friday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 27,945
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 9.0
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.0 per cent (seven day average)
• Reproduction Number: 1.23 (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 are a patient and/or their 1 accompanying escort tra­velling out of country for medical treatment;
• 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.

Long-term care staff, caregivers, volunteers and visitors who are fully immunized against COVID-19 are not required to present a negative COVID-19 test before entering or visiting a long-term care home.

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 Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• COVID-19 Drive-Thru Assessment Centre at 300 Coventry Road: Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• The Moodie Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 
• The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• North Grenville COVID-19 Assessment Centre (Kemptville) – 15 Campus Drive: Open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 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, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday

COVID-19 screening tool:

The COVID-19 screening tool for summer camp children and staff. All campers and staff must complete the COVID-19 School and Childcare screening tool daily.

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

COVID-19 vaccines to be mandatory for federal public service, most air and rail travellers

The federal government will soon make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all federal public service workers.

All commercial, air, interprovincial train and cruise ship passengers will also need to be fully vaccinated to travel no later than October.

Intergovermental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced the new mandatory vaccine requirements on Friday.

The pair said they expect Crown corporations and federally regulated agencies such as the Bank of Canada and Canada Post to follow suit.

"After months and months of deploying these vaccines literally into millions of Canadian arms, we see how effective they are. We also see what other workplaces and other public service agencies around the world have done,” said LeBlanc. "It is very much a continuation of our government’s efforts to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to protect the health and safety of Canadians."

The Business Council of Canada approved of the move, dubbing it "the right thing to do” as the country faces a fourth wave of the pandemic.

21 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, active cases continue to rise

Ottawa Public Health reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, the second straight day with more than 20 new cases of the virus.

The daily COVID-19 update from the health unit shows the number of active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa is above 100 for the first time since June 29.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa in March 2020, there have been 27,945 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 593 deaths.

 

COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
Infogram

Ottawa reaches 75 per cent of residents 12 and older fully vaccinated

Three-quarters of Ottawa residents 12 and older are now fully vaccinated.

Ottawa Public Health reported Friday that 75 per cent of Ottawa residents 12 and older have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

A total of 682,964 Ottawa residents are considered fully vaccinated against novel coronavirus.

 

COVID-19 vaccine coverage in Ottawa
Infogram

Redblacks support calls for proof of COVID-19 vaccination system in Ontario

The head of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group supports the idea of a proof of vaccination system for large-scale events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Vaccine passports, and I wish they didn't call it vaccine passports, but being able to show electronically that you've been vaccinated is something that we support," said Mark Goudie, President of OSEG in an interview on TSN 1200.

"We've told the province that we think that is an important tool for us to have as part of our business."

The Ottawa Redblacks are set to play their home opener at TD Place on Aug. 28. A total of 15,000 fans will be allowed inside TD Place to watch the game under Ontario's COVID-19 rules.

In this photo taken using a drone, TD Place is seen in Ottawa Wednesday, June 2, 2021 in Ottawa. Located at Lansdowne Park, TD Place is the home of the Ottawa REDBLACKS CFL team. (Adrian Wyld /THE CANADIAN PRESS)