OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- High demand for limited supply of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines at Ottawa pharmacies
- Ottawa surpasses 25,000 total cases of COVID-19
- Ottawa's economy added 6,000 jobs in April despite new COVID-19 restrictions
- Health official believes worst of Ontario's third wave is behind us
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 110 on Friday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 25,108
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 91.1
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 6.6 per cent (April 30 to May 6)
- Reproduction Number: 0.78 (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
High demand for limited supply of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines at Ottawa pharmacies
Two Ottawa pharmacies expect to run out of the first shipment of Moderna COVID-19 doses today, 24 hours after the doses arrived.
Bridle Path Pharmacy on Bridle Path Drive and Promed Pharmacy on Alta Vista Drive each received 100 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Friday as part of a pilot project with the Ontario government.
Five Ottawa pharmacies in designated COVID-19 hot spot postal codes K1T and K1V are scheduled to receive a shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Friday. Residents 18 and older are eligible to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Ottawa pharmacies.
Ottawa surpasses 25,000 total cases of COVID-19
Ottawa Public Health reported 110 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, pushing Ottawa's total COVID-19 case count past 25,000 cases since the start of the pandemic.
One new death linked to the virus was announced.
Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, 2020, there have been 25,108 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 520 deaths.
Ottawa's economy adds 6,000 jobs in April
Ottawa's economy added 6,000 new jobs in April, despite new COVID-19 lockdown restrictions that forced non-essential businesses to close.
However, with more people looking for work in the capital last month, Ottawa's unemployment rate increased from 6.3 per cent in March to 6.7 per cent in April.
Ottawa's job gains bucked the national trend, as Statistics Canada reported the Canadian economy lost 207,000 jobs in April. Ontario saw a drop of 153,000 positions in April.
'We have hope ahead': Health official believes worst of Ontario's third wave is behind us
The CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association suggests Ontario has seen the worst of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have better days ahead as we slowly climb down from this third wave. It will take continued sacrifice, though, and very hard work by all of us, if we're to do that," said Anthony Dale in an interview with CTV News on Friday.
However, Dale warns that while there are signs of optimism, it doesn't mean it's time to loosen restrictions or let our guards down.
Ontario's current stay-at-home order is scheduled to expire on May 20.
