COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Sept. 18, 2021

OTTAWA -

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

Fast Facts:

• Temporary COVID-19 testing clinic opening in Ottawa this weekend as demand increases
• COVID-19 outbreaks declared at four Ottawa schools, 47 schools with cases
• COVID-19 related hospitalizations increase in Ottawa
• A child under 10 dies due to COVID-19 in the Waterloo region

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

• New COVID-19 cases: 75 cases on Friday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 29,151
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 35.4
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 3.4 per cent (seven-day average)
• Reproduction Number: 1.09 (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

Temporary COVID-19 testing clinic opening at McNabb Arena this weekend as testing demand increases

A temporary COVID-19 testing clinic will open at the McNabb Arena this weekend, as Ottawa parents complain about a lack of children testing appointments in Ottawa.

In a statement on Twitter, Ottawa Public Health said, "Our partners who manage COVID testing are working to increase their capacity to meet testing demand."

A temporary pop-up COVID-19 assessment centre will be open Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the McNabb Arena at 180 Percy Street.  COVID-19 testing will be available for anyone over the age of six months old.

It's a drop-in COVID-19 testing centre, and no appointments are needed.

A COVID-19 assessment centre in Ottawa, Ont. (Colton Praill / CTV News Ottawa)

COVID-19 cases reported at 47 schools in Ottawa

Ottawa Public Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at a fourth school during the first few weeks of the school year.

The outbreak was declared at Ecole élémentaire catholique Franco-Cite, where there are five cases of novel coronavirus.

As of Friday, there are active COVID-19 cases at 47 schools in Ottawa's four school boards, involving students and staff.

75 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, COVID-related hospitalizations increase

Ottawa Public Health reported 75 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, while hospitalizations continued to rise.

Thirty-four of the 75 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday involve residents under the age of 20.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in March 2020, there have been 29,151 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 594 deaths.

There are now 11 people in hospital with COVID-19 related illnesses.

 

COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
Infogram

Health officials report COVID-19-related death of child under 10 in Ontario's Waterloo Region

A child under the age of 10 has died due to COVID-19 in the Waterloo region.

Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang confirmed the child's death at the region's weekly COVID-19 briefing on Friday morning.

"The child had underlying health conditions," Wang said. "There were no school-related or childcare-related exposures in this case."

Premier Doug Ford addressed the death on social media, calling it "absolutely gut-wrenching."