OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Families celebrate a second Mother's Day during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Ottawa Public Health confirms new P.1 COVID-19 variant in Ottawa
- Canada's chief public health officer warns that full vaccination does not equal full protection from COVID-19
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 112 on Saturday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 25,220
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 87.9
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 6.6 per cent (April 30 to May 6)
- Reproduction Number: 0.83 (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
A COVID-19 Mother's Day
Ottawa's medical officer of health is urging everyone to celebrate Mother's Day virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Even if mom or grandma has been vaccinated, we all need to keep maintaining those behaviours that will keep COVID-19 at bay until more people are protected from the vaccine," said Dr. Vera Etches in a statement.
"So stick with your household and continue to find those special and creative ways to tell someone you love them from a distance."
Under Ontario's stay-at-home order, indoor and outdoor gatherings are prohibited, except with members of your household or one other person from outside of the household that lives alone.
Ottawa Public Health confirms new P.1 COVID-19 variant cases on Saturday
Ottawa Public Health reports the city's first cases of the P.1 COVID-19 variant first identified in Brazil.
No other information about the two cases were released.
There were 112 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Saturday, and one more death linked to the virus.
Since the first case on March 11, 2020, there have been 25,220 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 521 deaths.
Tam warns that full vaccination does not equal full protection from COVID-19
Canada's chief public health officer is reminding Canadians that even those who are fully vaccinated remain susceptible to COVID-19.
Speaking at a virtual town hall, Dr. Theresa Tam said the risk of asymptomatic infection and transmission is far lower for anyone who received two shots, "but it's not absolute."
"There's reduction in your risk of transmission, but it doesn't necessarily eliminate your risk of transmission," said Tam.
