COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Oct. 11, 2021

A woman walks with a stroller at Major's Hill Park in Ottawa on Monday, Oct 11, 2010. (Pawel Dwulit / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

OTTAWA -

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

Fast Facts:

• Active COVID-19 cases reported at 53 schools in Ottawa
• COVID-19 cases increase, hospitalizations decrease in Ottawa on Thanksgiving Sunday
• Federal government says Canadians should expect vaccine passports for travel in the 'next couple of months'

COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):

• New COVID-19 cases: 58 cases on Sunday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 30,289
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 28.0
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.7 per cent (seven-day average)
• Reproduction Number: 0.96 (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 are a patient and/or their 1 accompanying escort tra­velling out of country for medical treatment;
• 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.

Long-term care staff, caregivers, volunteers and visitors who are fully immunized against COVID-19 are not required to present a negative COVID-19 test before entering or visiting a long-term care home.

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

• Temporary Pop-Up Testing COVID-19 Assessment at McNabb Arena on Percy Street: Open Monday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• The Brewer Ottawa Hospital/CHEO Assessment Centre: Open Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• COVID-19 Drive-Thru Assessment Centre at 300 Coventry Road: Open Monday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• North Grenville COVID-19 Assessment Centre (Kemptville) – 15 Campus Drive: Open Monday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• The Moodie Care and Testing Centre: Open Thanksgiving Monday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 
• The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Thanksgiving Monday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

COVID-19 screening tool:

The COVID-19 screening tool for schools in Ottawa and eastern Ontario. All students, teachers and school staff must complete the COVID-19 School screening tool daily.

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

Active COVID-19 cases reported at 53 Ottawa schools

COVID-19 outbreaks have been declared over at five Ottawa schools over the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Ottawa Public Health reported Sunday that outbreaks are now over at the following schools in Ottawa:

• Kars on the Rideau Public School
• École élémentaire publique Jeanne-Sauvé
• École élémentaire catholique Notre-Dame-des-Champs
• Vincent Massey Public School
• École élémentaire publique L'Odyssee

As of Friday, Ottawa's four school boards reported 127 active cases of COVID-19 involving students and staff.  There are active cases at 53 schools in Ottawa.

COVID-19 cases increase, hospitalizations decrease in Ottawa on Thanksgiving Sunday

Ottawa Public Health is reporting the highest one-day increase in new cases of COVID-19 in a week, while hospitalizations and ICU admissions linked to novel coronavirus continue to decline.

There were 58 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Sunday, and no new deaths linked to the virus.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa in March 2020, there have been 30,289 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 598 deaths.

There are now four people in hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses, down from six people on Saturday.

 

COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
Infogram

Expect vaccine passports for travel 'in the next couple of months': LeBlanc

The federal government expects a singular proof of vaccination system for international travel to go live "in the next couple of months."

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc told CTV's Question Period on Sunday the government is still aiming for a fall timeline to implement the new system.

In August the government announced that it was collaborating with the provinces and territories to develop a “pan-Canadian approach” to a proof-of-vaccination passport that would facilitate cross-border travel.

A lone traveller enters the Calgary Airport in Calgary, Alta., Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh