COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for May 6, 2021

OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.

Fast Facts:

• Ottawa residents 50 and older, some essential workers eligible to book COVID-19 vaccine appointments
• Six Ottawa pharmacies set to receive Moderna COVID-19 vaccines this week
• Ottawa reports first three cases of B.1.617 variant
• Ottawa's COVID-19 positivity rate drops below seven per cent
• Health Canada approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 12 and older

COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):

• New COVID-19 cases: 141 on Wednesday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 24,892
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 102.9
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 6.7 per cent (April 28 to May 4)
• Reproduction Number: 0.96 (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 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 4 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)
• Southwest Ottawa COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Richmond Memorial Community Centre: Open Sunday, Monday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 12 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

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 residents 50 and older, some essential workers eligible to book COVID-19 vaccine appointments today

Thousands of Ottawa residents will be eligible to book an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine today, as the Ontario government expands the criteria to receive the shot.

Beginning at 8 a.m., the following groups in Ottawa will be eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the provincial online booking system and call centre:

• Individuals turning 50 and over in 2021;
• Individuals with high-risk health conditions;
• People who cannot work from home who fall under Group One (including remaining elementary and secondary school workers); and
• First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals in addition to the other channels previously available to book their appointment

Six Ottawa pharmacies set to receive Moderna COVID-19 vaccines this week

Six Ottawa pharmacies will begin administering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to residents as soon as this weekend.

The Ontario government announced Wednesday the province is expanding use of the Moderna vaccine to pharmacies as part of the ramp up of vaccinations across the province. Up to 60 pharmacies will participate in Ottawa, Durham, Hamilton, Windsor-Essex and York public health regions' hot spot areas.

Individuals aged 18 and over will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy.

Ontario Pharmacists Association CEO Justin Bates tells CTV News at Five that six Ottawa pharmacies will receive the Moderna vaccine.

Bates said depending on when the vaccines arrive, pharmacies could begin offering the Moderna doses "as early as" Friday afternoon.

Ottawa reports first three cases of B.1.617 COVID-19 variant, first identified in India

Ottawa Public Health is reporting the city's first cases of the B.1.617 COVID-19 variant, which was first identified in India.

Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches says each case of the B.1.617 variant was related to travel, and close contacts of the individuals tested negative for the virus.

The B.1.617 variant was first discovered in India in March. Researchers have said the variant has two mutations in the spike protein that the virus uses to attach itself to cells, which could help it spread more easily and escape the immune system.

Ottawa's COVID-19 testing positivity rate drops below 7 per cent; hospitalizations below 100

Ottawa Public Health reported 141 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Wednesday, and two new deaths linked to the virus.

Since the first case in March 2020, there have been 24,892 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 517 deaths.

Ottawa's positivity rate fell to 6.7 per cent for the previous seven days.

 

COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
Infogram

Children 12 and older now cleared to receive Pfizer vaccine: Health Canada

Health Canada says the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine can be administered to children ages 12 and older.

The federal health agency approved administering the vaccine to children ages 12 to 15 on Wednesday, making Canada the first country in the world to approve the shot for younger age groups.

Ottawa Public Health is looking at setting up school-based immunization clinics to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to children 12 and older when they are eligible to receive the dose.