COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for July 10, 2021
Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Ontario will move into Step 3 of its reopening plan next Friday, five days earlier than planned
- The number of active COVID-19 cases in Ottawa has dropped below 40
- No appointment required: People who need a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine can walk into a city-run clinic starting Saturday
- COVID-19 levels in Ottawa's wastewater are at their lowest since last summer
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: Five new cases on Friday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 27,724
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 3.8
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.1 per cent
- Reproduction Number: 0.97 (seven day average)
Testing:
Who should get a test?
Ottawa Public Health says you can get a COVID-19 test at an assessment centre, care clinic, or community testing site if any of the following apply to you:
- You are showing COVID-19 symptoms;
- 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;
- You are a resident or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by Ottawa Public Health;
- You are a resident, a worker or a visitor to long-term care, retirement homes, homeless shelters or other congregate settings (for example: group homes, community supported living, disability-specific communities or congregate settings, short-term rehab, hospices and other shelters);
- You are a person who identifies as First Nations, Inuit or Métis;
- You are a person travelling to work in a remote First Nations, Inuit or Métis community;
- You received a preliminary positive result through rapid testing;
- You require testing 72 hours before a scheduled (non-urgent or emergent) surgery (as recommended by your health care provider);
- You are a patient and/or their 1 accompanying escort travelling out of country for medical treatment;
- You are an international student that has passed their 14-day quarantine period;
- You are a farm worker;
- You are an educator who cannot access pharmacy-testing; or
- You are in a targeted testing group as outlined in guidance from the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
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 Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- COVID-19 Drive-Thru Assessment Centre at 300 Coventry Road: Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- The Moodie Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- North Grenville COVID-19 Assessment Centre (Kemptville) – 15 Campus Drive: Open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Centretown Community Health Centre: Open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Sandy Hill Community Health Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 pm.
- Somerset West Community Health Centre: Open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday
COVID-19 screening tool:
The COVID-19 screening tool for summer camp children and staff. All campers and staff must complete the COVID-19 School and Childcare screening tool daily.
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 moving to Step 3 of economic reopening plan 5 days early, allowing indoor dining and gyms to open
Ontario will be moving to Step 3 of its economic reopening plan on July 16, nearly five days ahead of schedule, allowing activities such as indoor dining to resume and gyms to open for the first time in months.
A person is seen at a fitness centre in this undated file photo. (The Canadian Press)
Active cases in Ottawa drop below 40
The number of active COVID-19 cases in Ottawa has dropped below 40 for the first time in over a year.
Ottawa Public Health reported five new cases on Friday, along with 11 people newly recovered. That pushes the number of active cases in the city to 38. It hasn't been that low since spring 2020 during the pandemic's first wave.
No appointment needed for first COVID-19 shot in Ottawa
Ottawa residents who haven’t yet received a first COVID-19 vaccine dose won’t need an appointment to get one starting this weekend.
The city announced that starting Saturday, residents who still need first doses can walk in to any city-run community clinic between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., as well as pop-up clinics.
Levels of COVID-19 in Ottawa's wastewater continue to drop
Ottawa’s COVID-19 wastewater levels have dropped near the limits of where researchers can detect the virus, the project’s principal investigator said on Friday.
“I’m a general optimist, but I do think we’re ahead of this thing now,” Dr. Alex MacKenzie, senior scientist at the CHEO Research Institute, told CTV News at Noon. “Yesterday’s numbers were really almost at the limits of detection.”
The COVID-19 wastewater signal in Ottawa, as compared to new cases. (Ottawa COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance)
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