OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Ottawa Public Health recorded its highest new case count of the fourth wave on Thursday, but hospitalizations remain low
- Ontario recorded nearly 800 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday
- Some parents are concerned about the sizes of their children's classes
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 61 new cases on Thursday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 28,703
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 26.5
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 3.2 per cent (seven-day average)
- Reproduction Number: 1.06 (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
- 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 2 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 summer camp children and staff. All campers and staff must complete the COVID-19 School and Childcare 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
Ottawa records highest new COVID-19 case count since May
New cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa have reached a fourth-wave high, but hospitalizations remain low.
Ottawa Public Health is reporting 61 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. It's the city's highest increase since May 21, when Ottawa Public Health recorded 81 new cases.
But hospitalizations from the disease are staying in the single digits. Six people are in hospital, including one person in intensive care. The city still has not recorded a new death from COVID-19 since early July. The death toll stands at 593
Ontario reports nearly 800 new COVID-19 cases as more students return to class
Health officials in Ontario are reporting close to 800 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday as more students across the province return to the classroom.
The 798 infections logged Thursday mark an increase from the 554 recorded a day earlier.
Of the cases reported Thursday, 620 cases involve individuals who are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 178 are in fully vaccinated individuals, the province said.
Some Ontario parents say there are 30 to 40 students in their children's classroom
More students in Ontario are returning to school Thursday for the first time since April and some parents are expressing concern over the number of children in the classroom amid the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
