OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Kingston's top doctor to replace Dr. David Williams as Ontario's chief medical officer of health
- Ottawa residents 80 and older can rebook second dose appointments this week
- Indoor dining, gyms reopen today as Quebec lifts some public health restrictions in Gatineau
- Ottawa surpasses 27,000 total COVID-19 cases
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 52 on Sunday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 27,019
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 42.7
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 5.0 per cent (May 21 to May 27)
- Reproduction Number: 0.91 (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 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 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (testing only)
- 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 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
Kingston's top doctor to replace retiring Dr. David Williams as Ontario's chief medical officer of health: sources
The Ontario government will table a motion in the Legislature today to appoint Dr. Kieran Moore as the province's next Chief Medical Officer of Health.
The medical officer of health for Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington will replace Dr. David Williams, who will retire on June 25.
Dr. Moore has been Kingston's top doctor since July 1, 2017.
"Being considered for the role of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health is a great honour and one that I do not take lightly," said Dr. Moore in a statement.
Ottawa residents 80 and older can rebook second dose appointments this week
Ottawa residents 80 and older can reschedule their second dose COVID-19 vaccine appointment this week, as Ontario shortens the gap between vaccine doses to begin a two-dose summer.
Beginning at 8 a.m., all Ottawa adults aged 80 and older may book their second dose vaccine appointment through the provincial booking system. This applies to both those who booked their first doses through the provincial system and those who booked their first shot through Ottawa Public Health.
The city says individuals who already have second dose appointments will keep their original appointment if they don't re-book for an earlier shot.
The city of Ottawa warns "booking availability may be limited" due to supply of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Indoor dining, gyms reopen as Quebec lifts some public health restrictions in Gatineau
The Quebec government lifts some of the COVID-19 public health measures in Gatineau and the Outaouais today, allowing restaurants to reopen indoor dining rooms and gyms and fitness centres to open.
The Outaouais is one of eight regions across Quebec moving into the "Level 3-Alert" orange zone. Here is a look at the COVID-19 restrictions easing in Gatineau and the Outaouais today:
- Secondary 3, 4 and 5 students return to school full-time
- Restaurant dining rooms reopen for indoor dining. A maximum of two people from a different address may sit at the same table, and they may be accompanied by their children under 18
- Gyms and fitness centres reopen, but must keep compulsory sign-in records and individuals must wear a mask at all times. Fitness centres can offer classes or supervision to individuals or to members of the same household
- Places of worship may open with a maximum of 100 people. Weddings and funerals are limited to 25 people
- Museums are allowed to open, in compliance with the measures in force
Ottawa surpasses 27,000 total COVID-19 cases
Ottawa Public Health reported 52 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Sunday, pushing the city beyond 27,000 total cases since the pandemic began.
Two more deaths linked to novel coronavirus were reported on Sunday.
Since the first case of COVID-19 on March 11, 2020, there have been 27,019 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 569 deaths.
