OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Ottawa Public Health reports 33 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the test positivity rate falls below 2 per cent
- Kingston, Eastern Ontario Health Unit move into the new "yellow-restrict" zone of the COVID-19 colour-coded system
- Canada's top public health officer urges COVID-19 caution ahead of holiday season
Testing:
Who should get a test?
Ottawa Public Health says there are four reasons to seek testing for COVID-19:
- You are showing COVID-19 symptoms. OR
- 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. OR
- You are a resident or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by Ottawa Public Health. OR
- You are eligible for testing as part of a targeted testing initiative directed by the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Ottawa:
The COVID-19 Assessment Centre at 151 Brewer Way is open seven days a week. Appointments are required in most cases but LIMITED walk-up capacity is available.
To book a test for an adult, click here.
The CHEO Assessment Centre at Brewer Arena – 151 Brewer Way is open seven days a week. Testing is available by appointment only.
To book a test for a child under the age of 18, click here.
The COVID-19 Care and Testing Centre at 595 Moodie Dr. is open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. The centre offers an appointment with a physician (including appropriate tests) for residents who are experiencing more significant symptoms like fever, difficulty breathing or a sore throat, or testing only for residents with mild symptoms or others who qualify for testing under current guidelines.
To book an appointment, click here.
The COVID-19 Care and Testing Centre at 1485 Heron Rd. is open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. The centre offers an appointment with a physician (including appropriate tests) for residents who are experiencing more significant symptoms like fever, difficulty breathing or a sore throat, or testing only for residents with mild symptoms or others who qualify for testing under current guidelines.
To book an appointment, click here.
The COVID-19 Care and Testing Centre at the Ray Friel Recreation Complex – 1585 Tenth Line Rd. is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It offers an appointment with a physician (including appropriate tests) for residents who are experiencing more significant symptoms like fever, difficulty breathing or a sore throat, or testing only for residents with mild symptoms or others who qualify for testing under current guidelines.
To book an appointment, click here.
The COVID-19 drive-thru assessment centre at the National Arts Centre. The centre is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
To book an appointment, click here.
The COVID-19 Assessment Centre at the McNabb Community Centre opens on Tuesday. The centre, located at 180 Percy Street, will operate Monday to Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
To book an appointment, click here.
The Centretown Community Health Centre at 420 Cooper St. offers COVID-19 testing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. To book an appointment, call 613-789-1500.
The Sandy Hill Community Health Centre at 221 Nelson St. offers COVID-19 testing from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Click here to book an appointment or call 613-789-1500
The Somerset Community Health Centre at 55 Eccles St. will offer COVID-19 testing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday. To book an appointment, call 613-789-1500.
See here for a list of other testing sites in Ottawa and eastern Ontario.
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 swallow, 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
Ontario reports more than 1,500 new cases of COVID-19; 33 new cases in Ottawa
Ottawa Public Health reported 33 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Sunday, the same day Ontario reported more than 1,500 new cases across the province.
No new deaths linked to the virus were announced in Ottawa.
Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, there have been 8,172 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 366 deaths.
Ottawa Public Health also reported Ottawa's test positivity rate was 1.8 per cent for Nov. 12 to 18, down from 2.2 per cent for the period Nov. 10 to 16.
Across Ontario, there were 1,534 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. Public Health Ontario reported 490 new cases in Peel Region, 460 in Toronto and 130 in York Region.
Kingston, Eastern Ontario Health Unit move into the Yellow zone
Kingston and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit region move into the "yellow-protect" zone today, which includes limits on restaurant and bar hours and capacity.
The Ontario government announced Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Public Health will move from the green-prevent level to yellow following a rise in cases. After one week in the "orange-restrict" zone, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit region, which includes Cornwall, Alexandria, Prescott-Russell, Clarence-Rockland and Hawkesbury, will move to yellow.
Under the "yellow-protect" level in Ontario's COVID-19 tiered system, last call at restaurants and bars is 11 p.m. and establishments must close at 12 a.m. A limit of six people may be seated together.
The City of Ottawa remains in the "orange-restrict" level.
Canada's top public health officer urges COVID-19 caution ahead of holiday season
With the holiday season fast approaching, Canada's top public health official is urging all Canadians to limit gatherings and only go out for essential reasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Theresa Tam is urging Canadians to be cautious amid what she describes as rapid epidemic growth across the country.
In a statement on Sunday, Dr. Tam said the number of people experiencing severe illness continues to grow.
"Given the recent developments, there is an urgent need for everyone to take individual actions to not only protect ourselves but also our populations and communities at high risk," said Dr. Tam.
"To do this, we need to limit close contacts to those in your immediate household and reduce in-person interactions to only essential errands and activities, while consistently maintaining key public health practices: stay home/self-isolate if you have any symptoms, maintain physical distancing, wear a face mask as appropriate and keep up with frequent hand, cough and surface hygiene."
Dr. Tam is urging people to plan for a safer holidays.
"Our best protection, now and into the holiday season, is to limit errands and outings to the essentials, keep in-person social activities to our existing household and strictly and consistently maintain public health practices."
