OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Mayor Jim Watson is hoping COVID-19 vaccines will arrive in Ottawa pharmacies by the end of the week
- Ottawa sees a third straight day with triple-digit COVID-19 cases
- More than 44,000 Ottawa residents have booked appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations
- Kingston region sees highest one-day increase in new COVID-19 cases in a week
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 133 new cases on Saturday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 16,755
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 71.9
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 4.6 per cent (Mar. 19 to Mar. 25)
- Reproduction Number: 1.18 (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 Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 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. Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (testing only)
- 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. Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (testing only)
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
Ottawa pharmacies will be included in next shipment of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines
Mayor Jim Watson is hoping you will be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at an Ottawa pharmacy by the end of next week.
CTV News Ottawa has learned that Ottawa pharmacies will be included in the next round of vaccine distribution when the AstraZeneca doses arrive in Ontario from the United States.
"The reality is that we've sent the province a list of about 143 pharmacies that are ready, willing and able to inject people with the doses of the vaccine and it's now up to the province to tell us how many pharmacies we'll be able to help out," said Watson during an interview on CTV News at Six with Christina Succi.
The mayor said Saturday evening he's hoping to get needles in arms as quickly as possible.
"We're hoping that as a result of the federal government's announcement for the AstraZeneca doses coming in on Tuesday, my desire is to see those get distributed fairly, our seven per cent, sometime later in the week at the latest."
A third straight day of triple-digit COVID-19 cases in Ottawa
Ottawa Public Health reported 133 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Saturday, the third straight day with a triple-digit increase in cases.
No new deaths were reported.
Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, 2020, there have been 16,755 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 459 deaths.
Public health reported 151 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and 139 cases on Friday.
More than 44,000 Ottawa residents have booked appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations
More than 44,000 Ottawa residents have booked an appointment to get the COVID-19 vaccination since the Ontario government opened its online booking system two weeks ago.
In a memo to Council, emergency and protective services general manager Anthony Di Monte provided an update on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
The memo states more than 118,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ottawa. The city has received 133,440 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines since Dec. 14.
Ontario launched the online booking system for residents over the age of 80 on March 15. Last Monday, Ontario expanded the eligibility to residents over the age of 75.
Kingston region sees highest one-day increase in new COVID-19 cases in a week
The Kingston region is seeing its highest one-day spike in new cases of COVID-19 in more than a week.
The Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health reported 17 new cases of COVID-19 in the region on Saturday. Nine of the 17 new cases of COVID-19 involve residents under the age of 30.
The health unit said six new variants of concern were identified through the positive tests.
