COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Aug. 29, 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:

• The Ottawa Redblacks hosted the largest event in Ottawa since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Active COVID-19 cases in Ottawa above 200
• Callers waited up to 53 minutes on hold to speak to Ottawa 311 agents the day Ontario implemented a stay-at-home order

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

• New COVID-19 cases: 25 new cases on Saturday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 28,264
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 16.2
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.6 per cent (seven day average)
• Reproduction Number: 1.02 (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

Redblacks host the largest event in Ottawa since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic

The Ottawa Redblacks returned to the field at TD Place on Saturday, the largest event in Ottawa since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fifteen-thousand fans were expected to pack the stadium at Lansdowne to watch the Redblacks face the B.C. Lions

"Touchdown right? This feels like some sort of a touchdown today that we're back," said Mark Goudie, CEO of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group.

It was the first Redblacks game in Ottawa since November 1, 2019.

The Ottawa Redblacks host the B.C. Lions at TD Place on Saturday, Aug. 28. (Photo courtesy: Twitter/TSN1200)

Active COVID-19 cases in Ottawa above 200; hospitalizations on the rise

Ottawa Public Health reported 25 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Saturday, as the number of active cases and hospitalizations continued to rise.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in March 2020, there have been 28.264 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 593 deaths.

The number of active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa increased to 200 on Saturday, while there are now seven people in hospital with COVID-19 related illnesses.

 

COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
Infogram

Callers waited 53 minutes on hold to speak to Ottawa 311 agents the day Ontario introduced Stay-at-Home order

Callers to Ottawa's 311 service waited nearly an hour to talk to an agent the day Ontario introduced a stay-at-home order in April.

In response to an inquiry from Coun. Mathieu Fleury about an increase in 311 call volumes this year, city staff say the longest wait time to speak to an agent was on Thursday, April 8.

Staff say the longest wait time for a 311 call was between 5:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m., with a wait time of 53 minutes and 56 seconds.

"On this day, the Ontario government issued a province-wide Stay-at-Home order requiring residents to stay home for non-essential reasons, prompting calls for questions and complaints," said staff.

Ottawa's open data website shows there were 90 calls to 311 on April 8 asking questions about the COVID-19 stay-at-home order, in addition to other calls about city business.

Ottawa City Hall (File photo).