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

Fast Facts:

  • Long-term care homes a top priority when COVID-19 vaccine arrives: Dr. Etches
  • Ottawa restauranteurs push for province-wide cap on delivery app fees
  • 24 new cases of COIVD-19 in Ottawa on Thursday
  • Ontario could see more than 9,000 new COVID-19 cases per day by end of 2020: new modelling
  • Ontario to test asymptomatic students and teachers at some Ottawa schools for COVID-19

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 or book an appointment online

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 or book an appointment online.

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

Long-term care homes a top priority when COVID-19 vaccine arrives in early 2021: Dr. Etches

When a COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Ottawa, the city's top doctor suggests the top priority will be using the vaccine to prevent hospitalizations and deaths in long-term care homes.

Health Canada expects to approve the Pfizer vaccine candidate in Canada by the end of the year.

Speaking on Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron, Dr. Vera Etches said Ottawa Public Health will be working with the Federal government, the Ontario government and the City of Ottawa's COVID-19 task force on rolling out the vaccine.

"What we're anticipating is the initial supplies will come in the early part of the year but they'll be limited in number. They'll be for the priority groups, most likely trying to prevent hospitalizations and deaths. So where do we see the hospitalizations and deaths, mostly unfortunately from long-term care," said Dr. Etches Thursday afternoon.

"So I know that will be a population we want to really be prepared to get the vaccine to people as soon as we receive it. That will probably be the initial focus for the first three months of the year."

COVID-19 vaccine

Ottawa restauranteurs push for province-wide cap on delivery app fees

Ottawa restauranteurs want the Ontario government to extend a cap on delivery app fees to all restaurants and bars in Ontario, not just places in COVID-19 hot zones.

The Progressive Conservatives introduced legislation on Thursday that would give the province the authority to temporarily limit how much apps such as UberEats and DoorDash can charge restaurants in the lockdown COVID-19 restriction zone for their services.

While advocates say the move is a good start, local restauranteurs are also calling for the measure to be applied across the province.

"Nobody’s really going to the restaurants, it’s a very difficult time, whether you’re mandated to close or not, so lowering these fees definitely would be an incredible help," said Andre Schad, owner of Jasper Sports Bar.

Uber Eats

24 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa; more than 1,400 across Ontario

Twenty-four more Ottawa residents have tested positive for COVID-19.

Ottawa Public Health reported 24 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday. There are no new deaths linked to novel coronavirus.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, there have been 8,278 laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 372 deaths.

Across Ontario, there were 1,478 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, including 572 new cases in Peel Region, 356 in Toronto and 111 in York Region.

 

Ontario could see more than 9,000 new COVID-19 cases per day by end of year: new modelling

New modelling suggests that in a worst-case scenario, Ontario could see more than 9,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day by the end of the year.

The modelling suggests that if COVID-19 cases grow at a rate of three per cent, Ontario will record more than 4,000 cases per day by Dec. 30.

If cases grow at a rate of five per cent, Ontario could see more than 9,000 cases per day by that date.

Cases of the novel coronavirus in Ontario have been growing at a much lower rate of 0.45 per cent over the past 14 days.

Ontario to test asymptomatic students and teachers in Ottawa for COVID-19

Students at some schools in Ottawa will be able to get tested for COVID-19, even if they're not showing any symptoms of the virus.

The Ontario government announced "targeted voluntary testing" for asymptomatic students and staff at schools in Ottawa, Toronto, Peel and York Regions with high cases of COVID-19.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, the Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce said school-based testing would be considered at schools where individuals have tested positive and there's a number of close contacts recommended to seek testing.

"While Ottawa has recently seen stabilizing or lowering COVID-19 indicators, the taskforce and its partners continue to seek opportunities to leverage testing capacity and break chains of virus transmission, especially in priority settings in our community such as schools, (long-term care homes), etc.," said the taskforce.

"Our goal is to make it easier to get tested by providing the testing at or near the school. The focus is on individuals without symptoms, and symptomatic individuals are asked to seek testing from regional assessment centres or care clinics."

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