COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Oct. 22, 2021

The Peace tower is seen on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021. (Adrian Wyld/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

OTTAWA -

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

Fast Facts:

• Capacity limits for Ontario restaurants, gyms to end as soon as Monday: Sources
• Ottawa Hospital set to place more than 300 employees on unpaid leave for violating vaccination policy
• Sixteen of Ottawa's 35 cases on Thursday involve residents under the age of 10

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

• New COVID-19 cases: 35 cases on Thursday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 30,590
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 18.7
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.7 per cent (seven-day average)
• Reproduction Number: 0.99 (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

• COVID-19 Assessment Centre at McNabb Arena at 180 Percy St.: Open Monday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• The Brewer Ottawa Hospital/CHEO Assessment Centre: Open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 
• COVID-19 Drive-Thru Assessment Centre at 300 Coventry Road: Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The drive-thru assessment closes on Saturday.
• The Moodie Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Saturday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 30 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 31 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• North Grenville COVID-19 Assessment Centre (Kemptville) – 15 Campus Drive: Open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 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

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

Capacity limits for Ontario restaurants, gyms to end as soon as Monday: sources

Premier Doug Ford and medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore will announce new COVID-19 measures on Friday.

Sources tell CTV News Toronto that capacity limits on restaurants and gyms could be lifted next Monday as part of the new measures for establishments that require proof of vaccination certificates.

CTV News Toronto learned that Ford met with this cabinet Thursday afternoon to also discuss when to dial back the mandatory masking policies in public settings. 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford (left) stands alongside Dr. Kieran Moore, the Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario, during a press briefing at the Queens Park Legislature in Toronto, on Friday, October 15, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Ottawa Hospital set to place more than 300 employees on unpaid leave for violating vaccination policy

More than 300 unvaccinated employees at the Ottawa Hospital are facing an unpaid leave at the end of the month.

As of this week, the hospital has sent 189 letters to employees who haven’t received the vaccine, and 129 to employees who received one dose of the vaccine, but did not have their second dose scheduled by Nov. 1.

"There are a number of staff who have yet to becoming fully vaccinated by November 1 and therefore will be placed on unpaid leave of absence," said a letter to hospital leaders obtained by CTV News Ottawa.

The letter said those employees will have to return all hospital property, including employee ID cards and keys. The ID cards will be deactivated as of Oct. 31 at midnight.

The Ottawa Civic hospital is seen Tuesday January 7, 2020 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Ottawa sees increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations on Thursday

Ottawa Public Health reported 35 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday, including 16 cases involving Ottawa residents under the age of 10.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa in March 2020, there have been 30,590 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 602 deaths.

The 35 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday follows 20 cases on Wednesday and eight on Tuesday.

 

COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
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