OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Anyone 18 or older living in three Ottawa postal codes will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines as of 8 a.m. today.
- Ottawa saw a slight increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases on Sunday but a drop in active cases and hospitalizations.
- An Ottawa man is sharing his experience trying to get a timely second shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 174 on Sunday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 24,518
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 119.2
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 7.6 per cent (April 23 to April 29)
- Reproduction Number: 0.93 (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 Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- COVID-19 Drive-Thru Assessment Centre at 300 Coventry Road: 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. Open 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)
- COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Howard Darwin Centennial Arena: Open daily 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- Southwest Ottawa COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Richmond Memorial Community Centre: Open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 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
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
Vaccine eligibility expands to 18 and older in three Ottawa hot spots
The Ontario government says adults 18 and older in three Ottawa neighbourhoods will be eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the provincial system starting Monday.
As of 8 a.m. on Monday, May 3, residents of Ottawa whose postal codes start with K1T, K1V, or K2V will be able to schedule an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine on the province's online booking portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Booking Line number at 1-833-943-3900.
The three forward sortation areas in Ottawa are among 114 so-called hot-spots identified across Ontario that will see an expanded vaccine rollout as of Monday.
The province is gradually lowering the age at which residents become eligible for vaccines throughout the month. Anyone in Ontario 50 and older will be eligible to book a vaccine appointment through the provincial system as of 8 a.m. Thursday, May 6. Also eligible Thursday are people with high-risk health conditions, people in the first group of workers who cannot work from home, such as education workers, and First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals in addition to the other channels previously available to book their appointment.
The eligibility is forecast to open to all adults in Ontario 18 and older by the week of May 24.
Ottawa sees 174 new COVID-19 cases, two new deaths Sunday
Ottawa Public Health says 174 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19 and two more people have died.
This brings the city's pandemic total to 24,518 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19. 509 residents of Ottawa have died since March 2020. OPH also reported 195 newly resolved cases on Sunday, bringing the number of known active cases lower for a 12th day in a row.
The weekly incidence rate of new cases per 100,000 residents also fell to below 120 on Sunday, after peaking at more than 222 in mid-April. Under Ontario's previous colour-coded system, an incidence rate of 40 cases per 100,000 population was the minimum threshold for the "red-control" status, the level below "lockdown."
Ottawa saw a decline in the number of people in hospital and in the ICU on Sunday, though the numbers remain high, with more than 100 people hospitalized.
An Ottawa man's struggle for a timely second vaccine dose
After getting his first dose of the Moderna vaccine on April 19, Steve McArdle was instructed by doctors to have his second shot no later than May 17.
"I'm immunosuppressed. I've had a liver transplant," said McArdle, 62.
When he got his shot at the Eva James community clinic, he said he was given a piece of paper with instructions to book his second shot online, but because the province extended time between doses, the system only allowed him to book for August 9 or later, well past the May 17 deadline.
"Ontario health is telling me to call Ottawa health. Telehealth they told me to call Ontario health or Ottawa health," said McArdle. "It's just a back and forth."
In a statement, Ottawa Public Health says organ transplant recipients need to pre-register on their website. Individuals who meet the criteria will get a call to book their appointments and will be scheduled at the recommended dose interval.
McArdle said did go to the website, the response he got was that someone would call him in a couple of weeks.
