OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Ottawa surpasses 400 COVID-19 deaths, active cases reach new high
- The Ottawa Hospital's CEO says the city is on track to be fully vaccinated by the summer
- The city has completed its first round of vaccinations in long-term care homes
- New COVID-19 modelling shows the pandemic in Canada is rapidly worsening
- Ottawa police arrested a California man for allegedly breaking quarantine rules by welcoming a visitor in Ottawa
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New cases: 148 new cases on Friday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 12,027
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 94.1
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 4.1 per cent (Jan. 8 - Jan. 14
- Reproduction Number: 1.01 (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 UK, or have come into contact with someone who recently traveled to the UK, 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: Open Monday to Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
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
Ottawa surpasses 400 COVID-19 deaths, active cases reach all-time high
Four more people in Ottawa have died from complications due to COVID-19, bringing the city's death toll to 402 since the start of the pandemic.
The number of active cases also reached a new high again on Friday at 1,261.
Ottawa on track to be fully vaccinated by summer: Ottawa Hospital CEO
The head of the Ottawa Hospital says if vaccine supply arrives as planned, the entire city will be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the summer.
Hospital CEO Cameron Love told Newstalk 580 CFRA this lockdown is the third rally for the city, and “hopefully the last” before vaccines arrive.
“We are working towards getting this entire community vaccinated by summer”, if the supply of vaccines arrives as planned, Love told The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll.
“As a region we’re working towards trying to get 10,000 done a day when the doses arrive. Doing the math, that’s 300,000 a month. There’s just over a million people in this city. That puts us in the range of being able to vaccinate everyone in four to six months,” Love said.
City complete first round of vaccinations in long-term care homes
The city was poised to reach a big milestone in its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with all long-term care homes expected to have their first round of shots finished by the end of Friday.
New COVID-19 modelling shows pandemic resurgence in Canada rapidly worsening
The spread of COVID-19 continues to surge rapidly across the country, with tens of thousands of new cases and thousands of additional deaths forecasted in the coming weeks.
New national modelling shows that Canada is on track to see up to 796,630 total COVID-19 cases and 19,630 deaths by Jan. 24 and federal officials are urging swift action to avoid Canadian doctors having to make “impossible choices,” such as who gets an ICU bed.
Ottawa police charge California man with breaking 14-day quarantine
Police have charged a California man with breaking quarantine rules after he travelled to Ottawa and allegedly received visits from a local resident when he was supposed to be in isolation.
The man arrived in Ottawa from the U.S. on Wednesday, Jan. 6, according to police. Under federal quarantine law, he was required to quarantine until Jan. 19.
However, police say he was visited on several occasions, and for extended periods of time, by an Ottawa resident.
