OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Ottawa's medical officer of health recommends celebrating the holidays with members of your household only, avoid intercity travel due to COVID-19
- 23 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Wednesday
- Dr. Vera Etches recommends Ottawa stay in the orange-restrict zone at this point
- New rapid COVID-19 testing being used in Ottawa
- COVID-19 ices plans for outdoor pick-up hockey games at City of Gatineau rinks
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, located at 180 Percy Street, is open 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
Celebrate the holidays with your household only: Ottawa’s top doctor
One month before Christmas, Ottawa's medical officer of health is urging people to spend the holidays with members of their household only, and avoid travelling to COVID-19 hotspots.
"What we're asking people to do is consider that this holiday season in 2020 will be one like none other in our lives. This is 2020 COVID pandemic and it's just going to be pretty memorable because it's going to be different," said Dr. Vera Etches.
"We have to create new traditions, new approaches which are based on limiting our celebrations in person to the people we live with, unless it's a single person, grandparents who have assessed their risks and need to be connected to a family."
The Ontario government released guidelines for the upcoming holidays on Wednesday, recommending people avoid trips from higher COVID-19 transmission areas to areas with lower transmission and no non-essential visits with family and friends.
Four new COVID-19 deaths in Ottawa, 23 more people test positive
Ottawa Public Health reported 23 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Wednesday, along with four new deaths linked to the virus.
Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, there have been 8,254 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 372 deaths
Public Health Ontario reported 1,373 new cases of COVID-19 across Ontario on Wednesday, 860 of which are in the locked down regions of Toronto and Peel.
Ottawa's top doctor doesn't recommend moving out of the orange-restrict zone for COVID-19 restrictions at this point
Ottawa's medical officer of health says she doesn’t recommend Ottawa move out of the "orange-restrict" zone at this point, despite the positive COVID-19 trends.
Ottawa Public Health reported Wednesday that Ottawa's cases per 100,000 is at 25.1 over the past seven days, and the positivity rate is at 1.6 per cent.
However, with COVID-19 cases trending down, Dr. Vera Etches told reporters, "I don't recommend that we move into yellow at this point."
"I do see that we are on the edge of yellow, but we haven't met all the criteria for yellow and we don't want to be in the situation where we're having to go right back into orange," said Dr. Etches.
"We want to have a clear sign that we are in the yellow category where the indictors are all aligned and we also have positive trends downwards. This virus is very hard to control, we see that around the world. We can't just go back to everything's open as if COVID isn't here. We do have to continue with some controls that decrease the opportunity for COVID to be transmitted through the winter or through until we have a vaccine."
New rapid COVID-19 testing has made its way to Ottawa
Two types of rapid COVID-19 tests are being used in Ottawa.
"The Ottawa Hospital and Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association have received 3,000 IDNOW and 10,000 PANBIO rapid tests for deployment in the Ottawa region,” said a spokesperson for the Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce.
The Medical Laboratory Professionals' Association of Ontario tells CTV News Ottawa there's still some "uncomfortableness" with the reliability of the tests.
The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce says once it gets through quality assurance, the tests can be rolled our more broadly.
Outdoor pick-up hockey to be banned in Gatineau amid COVID-19
The City of Gatineau is banning pick-up hockey games on outdoor rinks this winter due to COVID-19.
"The city of Gatineau is looking to install one net so that players will be able to go on solo or duo shooting pucks on field," said Martin Lajeunesse, city councillor and chair of the recreation, sport and community development committee.
Outdoor rinks will be limited to 25 people at a time, signs will be posted with the rules, and city officials will be monitoring all 80-plus rinks in the city.
