OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Non-essential businesses, hair salons and museums can reopen in Gatineau today as the Quebec government relaxes COVID-19 restrictions
- Toronto reports Canada's first known case of COVID-19 variant first seen in Brazil
- Big City Mayors to ask federal government for a second round of pandemic funding
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 73 new cases on Sunday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 13,670
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 32.7
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.6 per cent (Jan. 29 – Feb. 4)
- Reproduction Number: 1.03 (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.
- The COVID-19 Assessment Centre at McNabb Community Centre closes at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
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
Here's a look at the new lockdown rules in Gatineau
Non-essential businesses, hair salons and museums can reopen in Gatineau today, as the Quebec government eases some of the COVID-19 restrictions.
Visits to private homes will continue to be prohibited, and the 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew will remain in effect for Gatineau and the Outaouais.
Restaurants can only open for takeout and delivery.
The Ontario government is expected to announce the gradual reopening of the economy in some areas as soon as today.
Toronto reports Canada's first known case of COVID-19 variant first seen in Brazil
Canada's first known case of a COVID-19 variant first detected in Brazil has been reported in Toronto.
Toronto Public Health (TPH) announced Sunday that a resident who recently travelled from Brazil tested positive for the P.1 COVID-19 variant.
The individual is currently in hospital.
Officials also reported Toronto's first case of the South African variant. TPH said the resident has no travel history or no known contact with anyone who travelled.
COVID-19 trends in Ottawa tick upward slightly on Sunday; 73 new cases and 2 new deaths
Ottawa Public Health reported 73 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Sunday and two new deaths linked to the virus.
Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, there have been 13,760 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 424 deaths.
Ottawa's weekly incidence rate increased to 32.7 cases per 100,000 people on Sunday, from 29.6 on Saturday.
Big City Mayors to ask federal government for second round of pandemic funding
Pandemic funding will top the agenda when Canada's big city mayors meet this week.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Big City Mayors' Caucus will meet virtually this week with the federal government and opposition leaders to discuss the federal budget.
"Last year, we worked really closely with the federal and provincial governments and struck a deal where municipalities could put in applications for funding to offset these massive losses and massive increases in costs," said Mayor Jim Watson during an interview on Newstalk 580 CFRA.
"Now, because the pandemic is still with us—our transit numbers are still down—we're going to work with the feds and the province to come up with a second round of funding so that we're able to provide services like public health, testing centres, inoculation centres, and extra costs incurred by police, paramedics and the fire department."
Ottawa's 2021 budget forecasts a $153 million deficit, assuming the pandemic continues to impact the city for the entire year.
