OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Ottawa business owners say they're increasingly worried about a possible lockdown as cases climb.
- Ottawa recorded its sixth straight day of more than 100 new cases of COVID-19, something never before seen during the pandemic.
- New data from Ottawa Public Health show the effects of COVID-19 variants in the city.
- A COVID-19 outbreak at a Gatineau school has grown to nearly 50 cases.
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 112 new cases on Monday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 17,177
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (Mar. 22-28): 85.0
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 5.0 per cent (Mar. 22-28)
- Reproduction Number: 1.23 (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 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
Ottawa businesses worried about possibility of increased restrictions
In the midst of a third wave that’s ravaging Ontario and setting new records for daily increases in ICU patients, Premier Doug Ford is warning more restrictions could be coming.
“I won’t hesitate to lock things down if we have to. I did it before I’ll do it again,” Ford said.
A move to the Grey zone would mean an end to indoor dining; patio seating would be reserved for members of the same household.
Along with changes to restaurants, the next level of provincial restrictions would mean fitness facilities and salons would be forced to close.
Retail stores would be limited to 25 per cent capacity, and grocery stores would drop to 50 per cent capacity.
In a statement, Ottawa Public Health could not confirm whether the city was moving imminently towards the Grey zone. They tell CTV News they’re monitoring “numerous indicators and COVID-19 metrics in order to make recommendations to the province.”
Sixth straight day of more than 100 COVID-19 cases in Ottawa
Ottawa Public Health says 112 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Ottawa, marking the sixth straight day of triple-digit case counts in the nation's capital.
Ottawa has never before seen more than five straight days of newly reported case counts above 100.
The COVID-19 dashboard now shows a total of 17,177 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa since the pandemic began.
Three more people in the city have died. The pandemic's death toll now stands at 463 residents of Ottawa. Among the new deaths today is an individual in their 40s. This is the second death of somone age 40 to 49 in Ottawa since the pandemic began and the third death in someone under 50.
Hospitalizations are also on the rise, and the number of people with known active cases of COVID-19 increased again Tuesday.
The incidence rate of new cases per 100,000 residents is now at its highest level since early January. Ottawa's incidence rate and testing positivity rate are double the minimum threshold for the "Red-Control" level under Ontario's COVID-19 framework.
Three COVID-19 deaths in Ottawa linked to variants of concern
Ottawa Public Health is reporting that three of Ottawa's 463 COVID-19 deaths are linked to variants of concern (VOCs).
OPH recently began publishing local statistics about VOCs on its COVID-19 dashboard. As of Tuesday, it shows 589 cases have screened positive for a VOC or mutation.
To date, Ottawa has confirmed 23 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first detected in the UK, and six cases of the B.1.351 variant, which was first detected in South Africa.
The number of cases with a mutation detected has more than tripled in the past two weeks. According to data from Public Health Ontario, there were 180 cases with a mutation detected as of March 16.
COVID-19 outbreak at Gatineau school grows to 49 cases
A COVID-19 outbreak at a Gatineau school has grown to 49 cases.
In a letter to families dated March 29, Lison Montambeault, principal of École internationale du Village, said 42 students and seven staff members have tested positive since March 18.
A spokesperson for the Portages-de-l'Outaouais school board said the Aylmer-sector school is closed through April 7 because of the outbreak.
The school has two buildings, the Limoges building on rue Symmes and the St. Paul building on chemin Eardley. Both buildings are closed due to the outbreak. The school has a population 700 students and employs 100 staff, including teachers.
