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

Fast Facts:

  • 3,000 doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 are en route to Ottawa
  • Ottawa Public Health reports 48 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa Saturday, while Ontario logged over 1,800 new COVID-19 cases for a fourth straight day
  • COVID-19 outbreak at Gananoque dealership linked to 37 cases of novel coronavirus

COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa:

  • New cases: 48 cases on Saturday
  • Total COVID-19: 8,987
  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 29.9
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.5 per cent (Dec 4-10)
  • Reproduction Number: 1.02 (seven day average)

Testing:

Who should get a test?

Ottawa Public Health says there are four reasons to seek testing for COVID-19:

  • You are showing COVID-19 symptoms. OR
  • 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. OR
  • You are a resident or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by Ottawa Public Health. OR
  • You are eligible for testing as part of a targeted testing initiative directed by the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care.

Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Ottawa:

The COVID-19 Assessment Centre at 151 Brewer Way is open seven days a week. Appointments are required in most cases but LIMITED walk-up capacity is available.

To book a test for an adult, click here.

The CHEO Assessment Centre at Brewer Arena – 151 Brewer Way is open seven days a week. Testing is available by appointment only.

To book a test for a child under the age of 18, click here.

The COVID-19 Care and Testing Centre at 595 Moodie Dr. is open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. The centre offers an appointment with a physician (including appropriate tests) for residents who are experiencing more significant symptoms like fever, difficulty breathing or a sore throat, or testing only for residents with mild symptoms or others who qualify for testing under current guidelines.

To book an appointment, click here. 

The COVID-19 Care and Testing Centre at 1485 Heron Rd. is open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. The centre offers an appointment with a physician (including appropriate tests) for residents who are experiencing more significant symptoms like fever, difficulty breathing or a sore throat, or testing only for residents with mild symptoms or others who qualify for testing under current guidelines.

To book an appointment, click here.

The COVID-19 Care and Testing Centre at the Ray Friel Recreation Complex – 1585 Tenth Line Rd. is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It offers an appointment with a physician (including appropriate tests) for residents who are experiencing more significant symptoms like fever, difficulty breathing or a sore throat, or testing only for residents with mild symptoms or others who qualify for testing under current guidelines.

To book an appointment, click here.

The COVID-19 drive-thru assessment centre at the National Arts Centre. The centre is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

To book an appointment, click here.

The COVID-19 Assessment Centre at the McNabb Community Centre, located at 180 Percy Street, is open Monday to Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

To book an appointment, click here.

The Centretown Community Health Centre at 420 Cooper St. offers COVID-19 testing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. To book an appointment, call 613-789-1500 or book an appointment online. 

The Sandy Hill Community Health Centre at 221 Nelson St. offers COVID-19 testing from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.  Click here to book an appointment or call 613-789-1500

The Somerset Community Health Centre at 55 Eccles St. will offer COVID-19 testing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday. To book an appointment, call 613-789-1500 or book an appointment online.

See here for a list of other testing sites in Ottawa and eastern Ontario.

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 swallow, 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 en route to Ottawa will vaccinate 'highest of the high-risk' first: Dr. Bogoch

The first 3,000 doses of COVID-19 are expected to arrive in Ottawa on Monday, with the first vaccinations of health care workers in Ottawa's long-term care homes set for Tuesday.

UPS Canada shared what they called the "first images" of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine being processed in Germany on Saturday for the flight to Canada.

Speaking on CTV News at Six with anchor Christina Succi, Dr. Isaac Bogoch said Ontario wants to vaccinate health care workers in long-term care homes first.

"We know that Ontario prioritized the highest of the high-risk category, so that's going to be people who are living and working in long-term care facilities," said Dr. Bogoch Saturday evening.

"Because it's challenging; we don't have a tonne of vaccine coming in, it's really going to prioritize those who are working in long-term care facilities first."

Total COVID-19 cases in Ottawa approach 9000 as OPH adds 48 on Saturday

Forty-eight more Ottawa residents have tested positive for COVID-19. 

Ottawa Public Health reported 48 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, along with no new deaths linked to the virus.

There have been 8,987 cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 384 deaths.

Across Ontario, there were 1,873 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday.

 

COVID-19 outbreak at Gananoque dealership linked to 37 cases of novel coronavirus

Thirty-seven cases of COVID-19 have been traced to an automotive dealership and collision centre in Gananoque.

On Wednesday, the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit and Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health (KFL&A) declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Gananoque Chevrolet and the CSN Gananoque Collision Centre.

The health units said all customers of Gananoque Chev Buick GMC Cadillac dealership and the CSN Gananoque Collision Centre between Dec. 2 to 8 should assess their interactions with staff.

In an update on YouTube on Friday, KFL&A Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said there are 37 cases of COVID-19 linked to the outbreak at the dealership and collision centre.

Nineteen of the cases are in the KFL&A region, while Dr. Moore said 18 cases are in the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit region.

"This is a major event for our region in terms of total numbers of cases."