COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Aug. 27, 2021

OTTAWA -

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

Fast Facts:

• Ontario health units prepared to create their own vaccine certificate: Eastern Ontario top doctor
• Unvaccinated residents 22 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 in Ottawa
• 17 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday
• COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for staff and guests to attend Saunders Farm this fall

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

• New COVID-19 cases: 17 new cases on Thursday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 28,192
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 13.6
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.5 per cent (seven day average)
• 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 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

Ontario health units prepared to create their own vaccine certificate: Eastern Ontario top doctor

The president of the Association of Local Public Health Agencies says Ontario's health units will implement their own vaccine certificate in September if the Ontario government doesn't rollout a province-wide system.

Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Eastern Ontario's Medical Officer of Health, says the medical officers of health agreed on Wednesday to create their own proof of vaccination certificate in each jurisdiction to prove someone has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

"We want a provincial one, let's make it clear. It would be easier if it's provincial because then it's across the board and there won't be interregional differences," said Dr. Roumeliotis during an interview on CTV Morning Live.

"We need something digital, something that's confidential and an alternative card, Manitoba has that as well, Quebec and B.C. all have those alternatives."

Renfrew County's acting medical officer of health says it is just a matter of time before a vaccine passport is implemented.

"We're all very strongly in favour of this and it's to protect our health, to protect the schools, to protect our jobs and the economy and to get our social lives as quickly back to normal as we can," said Dr. Robert Cushman during an interview on Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa at Work with Leslie Roberts.

 

Unvaccinated residents 22 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 in Ottawa

Unvaccinated Ottawa residents are 22 times more likely to be infected with COVID-19 compared with fully vaccinated residents, new data suggests.

Ottawa Public Health introduced new COVID-19 data on its dashboard showing the risk of infection among the unvaccinated, vaccine-eligible population in Ottawa.

Of the 122 cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa among vaccine-eligible residents between July 18 and Aug. 21, 80 cases were identified in unvaccinated residents or residents who received a COVID-19 vaccine under 14 days before testing positive.

Health-care worker Thi Nguyen administers Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine to a patient at a COVID-19 clinic in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

17 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday

Ottawa Public Health reported 17 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday, the 18^th straight day with double-digit case numbers.

There are no new deaths linked to COVID-19 in the capital.

Across Ontario, there are 678 new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario. Health officials say there are 144 cases in Toronto, 102 in Peel Region, 97 in York Region and 78 in Windsor-Essex.

 

COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
Infogram

COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for staff and guests to attend Saunders Farm attractions this fall

You will need to be fully vaccinated to checkout the Pumpkin Season and Frightfest at Saunders Farm, and The Sawmill Halloween attraction at Lansdowne Park.

Saunders Farm has announced a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for all guests and staff, stating everyone who is eligible for a vaccine must receive two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Pumpkin Season and Frightfest are set to begin on Sept. 25. The Sawmill at Lansdowne, featuring the largest, longest and most terrifying walking experience, begins at Oct. 8.