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

Fast Facts:

  • Quebec issues province-wide curfew starting Saturday. Quebecers must be in their homes from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. or risk a fine of up to $6,000
  • Ottawa's medical officer of health is urging residents to wear face masks outside of the home as much as possible to help limit the spread of COVID-19
  • Ottawa's COVID-19 daily case count dips below 100 for the first time in 2021
  • An inmate at Joyceville Penitentiary in Kingston says no to the COVID-19 vaccine
  • Ottawa Hospital opens new temporary unit at Civic Campus to create additional capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic

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

  • New cases: 87 new cases on Wednesday
  • Total COVID-19 cases: 10,682
  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 74.9
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 4.4 per cent (Dec 30, 2020 - Jan. 5, 2021)
  • Reproduction Number: 1.15 (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:

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

Quebec issues province-wide curfew starting Saturday in effort to combat surging COVID-19 cases

Quebecers will be living under a curfew for four weeks as the province tries to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Premier Francois Legault announced that starting Saturday, Quebecers will be required to be in their homes from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Violators face a fine of up to $6,000.

Grocery stores and depanneurs must close at 7:30 p.m. every day to allow shoppers time to get home.

Francois Legault

Ottawa's top doctor recommends wearing masks outside 'as much as you can'

Ottawa's top doctor is recommending you wear a mask outside of your home as much as possible to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

"You don't need me to tell you to wear a mask; you should always wear a mask as much as you can when you're outside your home," said Dr. Vera Etches as COVID-19 rates continue to rise in the community.

On Tuesday, the Medical Officer of Health announced she is issuing a class order under the Health Protection and Promotion Act to limit the number of people on outdoor skating rinks to a maximum of 25 people. A maximum of 25 people will also be allowed in gathering sites such as parking lots, trailheads on cross-country ski trails and the top and bottom of toboggan hills.

Ottawa's Temporary Mask Bylaw

New COVID-19 cases in Ottawa dip below 100 for first time in 2021

Ottawa Public Health reported 87 more cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Wednesday, the first time the daily case count has dropped below 100 since Dec. 31.

Since the first case of COVID-19 on March 11, there have been 10,682 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 393 deaths.

 

Inmate at Joyceville Penitentiary in Kingston says no to COVID-19 vaccine; 600 inmates could receive vaccines this week

The wife of an inmate at Kingston's Joyceville Penitentiary says her husband turned down the opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

"He’s terrified of not making it out. He’s actually high-risk," Tara Baker said during an interview with CTV News Ottawa from her home in Niagara Falls.

Baker's husband John Whalen is in prison for drug offences. Baker says her 33-year-old husband was offered the vaccine last week, but turned down the opportunity to be part of the program.

"Due to the complications that he already has with his respiratory symptoms and previous allergies to previous medications and such, he said no," Baker says.

Correctional Service of Canada will distribute 1,200 doses of the vaccines to those identified most at-risk, starting on Friday.

File image of a Canadian prison.

Ottawa Hospital opens temporary unit to create additional capacity during COVID-19 pandemic

A new 40-bed temporary unit is now open at the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus to help deal with overcrowding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ottawa Hospital says the "Offload Medicine Transition Unit" will allow the hospital to "create additional capacity and ensure patients receive the care they need."

"It will also decrease wait times for patients in the Emergency Departments, as well as reduce ambulance offload times, and allow our paramedic partners to return to the community quickly."

Ottawa Hospital