OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Ontario is postponing March Break for students and teachers in elementary and secondary schools until the week of April 12
- Ontario will announce the colour-coded restrictions for Ottawa and eastern Ontario today; Ottawa expected to move to the "Orange-Restrict" zone on Feb. 16.
- Ottawa Public Health reports the 21st straight day with fewer than 100 new cases of COVID-19
- 211 service sees increase in calls for help during the pandemic
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 56 new cases on Thursday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 13,815
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 30.8
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.5 per cent (Feb. 3 – Feb. 9)
- Reproduction Number: 1.09 (seven day average)
Testing:
Who should get a test?
Ottawa Public Health says there are five 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. OR
- You have traveled to the U.K., or have come into contact with someone who recently traveled to the U.K., please go get tested immediately (even if you have no symptoms).
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 Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- COVID-19 Drive-thru assessment centre at National Arts Centre: Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- The Moodie Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- The Heron Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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 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 will postpone March Break for a month
Ontario is postponing the March Break for students and teachers for a month.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced the week-long break for all elementary and secondary schools will now take place the week of April 12.
"Postponing March Break, not cancelling it, is an important way that schools can help to limit community transmission," Lecce said.
“I recognize that this is one more change in a year that has been challenging for so many students and our education staff who continue to work so hard, but is one made on the best advice of public health officials to keep them safe, and to keep our schools open in this province.”
Ottawa must ‘proceed cautiously’ when COVID-19 stay-at-home order ends next week
The Ontario government will announce today where on the colour-coded chart 28 regions of the province will move to when the stay-at-home order ends on Feb. 16.
The province will ease the restrictions following the COVID-19 lockdown.
Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches said on Thursday that Ottawa will likely transition to the "Orange-Restrict" zone when the shutdown measures end.
Under the “Orange-Restrict” zone of Ontario’s COVID-19 provincial framework, businesses can reopen for in-person shopping and restaurants can open for in-person dining, with restrictions on capacity and the number of people sitting at a table.
21 straight days with fewer than 100 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa
Ottawa Public Health reported 56 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday, the highest one-day increase this week.
No new deaths linked to COVID-19 were announced on Thursday.
The 56 new cases follows 26 new cases in Ottawa on Wednesday, 25 new cases on Tuesday and 38 cases on Monday.
Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, there have been 13,815 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 428 deaths.
211 service sees increase in calls for help during pandemic
The 211 service in Ottawa and across Canada is seeing an increase in calls for help accessing food, financial aid, mental health services and housing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
New statistics from United Way Centraide Canada shows a 30 per cent increase in calls to 211 across Canada in March to December 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.
“211 is a service that anybody can call for government, social, health, community services and its 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. It’s available all the time,” said John Hoyles, executive director of Community Information Centre of Ottawa and 211 East.
