OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- People 90 and older anywhere in Ottawa can book appointments for a COVID-19 vaccine starting today.
- Many more frontline health-care workers can pre-register for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment starting today.
- Ottawa is still holding steady in the "orange" zone.
- Health officials are urging residents to be kind to contact tracers after reports of abuse.
- Residents of Kingston age 60 to 64 will be able to book appointments for the AstraZeneca vaccine at local pharmacies this week.
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 40 new cases on Tuesday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 15,207
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 36.8
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 2.2 per cent (March 1-7)
- Reproduction Number: 1.04 (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.
Vaccine eligibility screening tool:
To check and see if you are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Ottawa, click here.
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
More vaccine appointments open today
Residents of Ottawa 90 and older can book appointments for a COVID-19 vaccine starting today, no matter where they live in the city.
Residents 80 and older and already able to book vaccine appointments but only if they live in select high-priority neighbourhoods.
The head of Ottawa's vaccine distribution taskforce estimates there are about 6,000 seniors 90 and older who would be eligible to receive a vaccine. Needles will start going into arms Friday at the Nepean Sportsplex.
Also starting today, tens of thousands of additional front-line health-care workers can pre-register for a vaccine appointment. It's unclear when those workers will get the shot, but their pre-registration will be automatically loaded into the province's vaccine appointment system once it is online.
Ottawa holding steady in orange zone
Ottawa remains within the orange zone, but Ottawa's top doctor is still concerned about rising rates.
While the rate of new cases per 100,000 residents—one of the key metrics that determines what colour a region is in—dropped slightly on Tuesday, medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches said she's keeping a close eye on the numbers.
She noted that the wastewater monitoring has been showing a sharp increase in recent days, which often translates to spikes in people testing positive a few days later, but she also noted that Tuesday's update included a slight drop in the concentration, perhaps a sign that levels of COVID-19 in the community could end up going down.
Ottawa Public Health reported 40 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and one new death.
Contact tracers facing abuse, health chair says
Members of Ottawa’s COVID-19 contact and case management team have faced resistance and abuse from members of the public, the city’s board of health chair says.
Coun. Keith Egli is asking everyone to be patient and kind with contact tracers as they follow up on positive cases of COVID-19.
The case and contact management team is responsible for identifying locations where anyone who tests positive may have visited while contagious, obtaining a list of close contacts and then reaching out to high-risk contacts to give them information on what to do next, all with the goal of reducing further transmission of COVID-19.
Egli said senior OPH staff have reported cases of contact tracers being hung up on and yelled at as they've attempted to touch base with close contacts of individuals who have tested positive.
Egli is urging people to respond to questions honestly and with patience.
Kingston pharmacies to start booking COVID-19 vaccine appointments Friday
Kingston-area residents between the ages of 60 and 64 will be able to book COVID-19 appointments at local pharmacies starting this Friday.
The Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington health unit is one of three areas in Ontario set to launch bookings through pharmacies. Toronto and Windsor-Essex are the others. More than 330 pharmacies are set to participate.
Kingston anticipates receiving more than 20,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, to be given out to 40 pharmacies in the region. Each would receive about 500 doses. The doses must be used up quickly, as they expire early next month.
Officials said pharmacies are receiving many phone calls, and are urging people to be patient as they work to get online booking systems set up.
