COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Oct. 7, 2021

People enjoy lunch outdoors in Ottawa's ByWard Market, Sept. 27, 2021. (Aaron Reid/CTV News Ottawa)

OTTAWA -

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

Fast Facts:

• Two more Ottawa residents die from COVID-19
• Four unions file grievances over city of Ottawa's mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for employees
• Coaches, officials and volunteers must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to participate in indoor events in Ottawa

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

• New COVID-19 cases: 25 cases on Wednesday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 30,116
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 32.4
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.9 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

• Temporary Pop-Up Testing COVID-19 Assessment at McNabb Arena on Percy Street: Open daily 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 Moodie Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 
• The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 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

Two more Ottawa residents die from COVID-19

Two more people have died from COVID-19 in Ottawa, the first time in nearly four months that multiple deaths linked to the virus were reported in one day.

The last day with more than one death was June 14, when three deaths were reported.

Ottawa Public Health also reported 25 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Wednesday.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa in March 2020, there have been 30,116 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 598 deaths.

 

COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
Infogram

Four unions file grievances over city of Ottawa's mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for employees

The city of Ottawa's largest public sector union and three unions representing transit workers have filed grievances over the city of Ottawa's mandatory vaccination policy for all employees.

Shortly after the city unveiled the COVID-19 Employee Vaccination Policy last month, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279, ATU Local 1760 and Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 5500 filed grievances with the city.  A fourth union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 503, also filed a grievance.

"These matters are in the initial stages and are proceeding through the normal grievance process outlined in the respective collective agreements," said City Solicitor David White in an email to CTV News Ottawa.

On Sept. 3, City Manager Steve Kanellakos announced all employees will be required to be fully vaccinated with a Health Canada recognized COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 1.  Employees will be required to provide proof of their vaccination status.

Ottawa introduces new rules for coaches, volunteers and officials

Coaches, volunteers and officials involved in indoor organized sports in Ottawa will need to be fully vaccinated to enter Ottawa facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities.

Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches issued new rules to help protect unvaccinated children and youth at higher risk for COVID-19 transmission.

As of Oct. 9 at 12:01 a.m., coaches, officials and volunteers directly supporting an organized team sport who enter city of Ottawa facilities used for sport and recreational fitness activities must show proof of vaccination.

"A crucial element to mitigating the risk COVID-19 poses to our community is high vaccination rates. With a resurgence in cases, fuelled by the Delta variant, that is leading to children and youth missing school due to isolation for high-risk contacts, it is important to implement measures to continue to keep our communities safe," said Dr. Etches in a statement. "That means limiting close contacts between cohorts in school at recess and lunch breaks and carefully considering the number of contacts unvaccinated children and youth have outside of school."

Students from John McCrea Secondary School play hockey at the Walter Baker Sports Centre in Ottawa on Thursday, January 19, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick