COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Aug. 25, 2021

Paddlers make their way along the Rideau River in Ottawa on Monday, Aug 9, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)

OTTAWA -

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

Fast Facts:

• All of Ottawa's hospitals will mandate COVID-19 vaccination by Oct. 15.
• Carleton University will no longer allow unvaccinated people without an exemption onto campus this fall.
• Active COVID-19 cases fell slightly on Tuesday and there is no one in the ICU.

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

• New COVID-19 cases: 16 new cases on Tuesday.
• Total COVID-19 cases: 28,156
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 13.7
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.5 per cent (seven day average)
• Reproduction Number: 1.04 (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

Hospitals in Ottawa mandate COVID-19 vaccinations in all staff by Oct. 15

Staff at Ottawa's hospitals will be required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15, each hospital said separate in statements Tuesday.

The Ottawa Hospital, the Montfort Hospital, the Queensway Carleton Hospital, and Bruyère all said Tuesday that staff must have at least one shot by Sept. 7 and be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15.

CHEO announced its mandatory vaccination policy last week.

Refusal to be vaccinated could be met with penalties, depending on the hospital. Montfort said refusing the vaccine is "no longer an option" and a Bruyère spokesperson said that non-compliance could be met with suspension without pay or even termination.

The Ottawa Civic hospital is seen Tuesday January 7, 2020 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Unvaccinated individuals without valid exemption no longer permitted on Carleton University campus this fall

Carleton University has updated its COVID-19 vaccination guidelines for students, staff and visitors, and will no longer allow unvaccinated individuals on campus without a valid exemption.

The university announced mandatory vaccinations for anyone visiting or attending campus this fall earlier this month; however, those who were not fully vaccinated were still allowed on campus provided they followed all public health measures and underwent rapid testing before setting foot on the grounds.

In an updated statement on Tuesday, the university said only those who have a valid medical or human rights exemption would still be permitted on campus, but would be required to adhere to additional health and safety measures, including frequent rapid testing.

Anyone else coming to campus must attest to having had their first dose by Sept. 8 and their second no later than Oct. 15. Reporting vaccination status is not required to access campus prior to Sept. 8, the university says. More information on how to provide proof is yet to come.

The Carleton University campus is seen Wednesday October 25, 2017 in Ottawa. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)

Active COVID-19 cases in Ottawa drop below 160; zero COVID-19 patients in ICU

Ottawa Public Health said Tuesday that 16 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19.

No new deaths were reported. No one in Ottawa has died from COVID-19 since July 8.

To date, OPH says the city has seen 28,156 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 593 residents have died since the pandemic began. Another 29 existing cases are now considered resolved, dropping the number of known active cases to 152. The number of Ottawa patients hospitalized with COVID-19 also dropped to four and there is no one in intensive care, locally.

The weekly incidence rate of new cases per 100,000 population continues to rise.

Across the province, another 486 new cases of COVID-19 were reported. The province said another 18 Ontarians have died due to COVID-19, but 16 of those deaths happened more than two months ago and were added Tuesday because of a data cleanup. Another 541 existing cases are now considered resolved. Public Health Ontario added 12 cases to its total for Ottawa on Tuesday. Figures from OPH often differ from Public Health Ontario's because the two health agencies pull data for their respective daily snapshot reports at different times of the day.

Nine new cases of COVID-19 were reported across eastern Ontario: five in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit and four in Hastings Prince Edward. Public Health Ontario also removed one cases from its total for Renfrew County.

 

COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
Infogram