COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for July 11, 2021

A traveller is dropped off at the departures level of the Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier International Airport on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Kawai

OTTAWA -

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

Fast Facts:

• An Ottawa pharmacist says about 100 COVID-19 vaccine doses in his clinic could expire this month, in part because some people are turning down the Moderna shot.
• Ottawa saw one new COVID-19 death on Saturday, the first in two weeks, as cases remain in the single-digits.
• Local business owners say they are excited to reopen in an earlier Step 3, but the opinion among experts is mixed.

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

• New COVID-19 cases: Four new cases on Saturday.
• Total COVID-19 cases: 27,728
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 3.8
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.1 per cent
• Reproduction Number: 0.84 (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

Ottawa pharmacist concerned about possible waste of vaccine as people turn down Moderna shots

An Ottawa pharmacist says hesitancy among clients toward the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could lead to dozens of doses going to waste.

“We are finding it is now reaching a peak and maybe waning a bit and I do find people are less likely to come in,” said Renu Pillay, pharmacist at Whole Health Pharamcy, adding that the pharmacy is seeing more cancellations.

“I currently have more than 500 doses. I expect to use at least 400 of them but I’m worried I might expire about 100 doses by the end of the month,” Pillay said.

Justin Bates, CEO of the Ontario Pharmacists Association says this is a province-wide issue.

“There’s really a challenge with the public misperception with an mRNA vaccine like Moderna and Pfizer, which is really disappointing because the efficacy and the safety are the same,” Bates said. “This is a problem across the province and it’s not just with pharmacies. It’s a problem in primary care; it’s a problem with public health units.”

Bates also claims there is an alleged push by organized anti-vaxxers to book appointments with the intention of not showing up, possibly meaning additional waste if last-minute bookings can't be filled.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Four new cases and one new death Saturday

Ottawa Public Health is reporting four more people in the city with COVID-19 and one new death.

This is the first report of a new death from COVID-19 in Ottawa since June 26.

To date, Ottawa has seen 27,728 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began and 592 residents have died due to COVID-19.

Three more cases in the city are considered resolved, leaving Ottawa's number of known active cases steady at 38.

There are three people in hospital with COVID-19. One is under 20, one is 20 to 29 and one is 80 to 89 years old.

 

COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
Infogram

Business owners thrilled about Stage 3 reopening but experts have mixed opinion on early move

Anticipation and excitement is growing in Ottawa with a move to Step 3 of Ontario’s reopening plan now less than a week away.

At the top of the list — indoor dining, which will resume for the first time in months.

The move to the last step of the province’s reopening plan comes five days ahead of schedule. And while for many it’s an encouraging sign, some experts say it’s too soon.

“Delta is not impressed with what we’re doing. It just stays there, at about 150 cases a day. We don’t want the delta (variant) to start to take off. Just stick to the plan, it’s about sticking to the plan, two-and-a-half to three weeks between steps,” Dr. Peter Juni, scientific director of Ontario’s science table, told CTV News Friday.

Still, others say with more than half of adults in the province fully immunized and case number remaining low, the move makes sense.

“When we look at the metrics that matter, hospitalizations and health-care capacity, pace of vaccination, and the burden of COVID-19 in the community, it’s fair to say we’re doing really well. We’re gradually moving from pandemic to endemic,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, Infectious Diseases Physician and member of Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine task force.

(Getty Images)