COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Sept. 29, 2021

OTTAWA -

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

Fast Facts:

• Ottawa Public Health reported its lowest daily case count in nearly a month on Tuesday, but hospitalizations are still on the rise.
• An Ottawa school reporting 13 cases of COVID-19 has been temporarily closed.
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is moving ahead with his plan to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for federal public servants.
• The Renfrew County health unit is reminding businesses that soldiers have a different but equally valid proof of vaccination certificate.

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

• New COVID-19 cases: 16 cases on Tuesday.
• Total COVID-19 cases: 29,734
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 33.9
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 2.3 per cent (seven-day average)
• Reproduction Number: 0.98 (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 until Oct. 6 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

COVID-19 hospitalizations up on Tuesday to highest level since mid-June

Ottawa Public Health says 16 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19, the lowest daily case count reported since late August.

To date, OPH has reported 29,734 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. No new deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Tuesday, leaving the city's pandemic death toll at 595 residents.

The number of active cases plunged on Tuesday amid a spike in resolved cases. Hospitalizations have increased to their highest level since June and ICU admissions are now at their highest level since May.

Daily case counts are typically lower on Tuesdays.

One new COVID-19 outbreak was declared at a local school. Briargreen Public School has two student cases linked to the outbreak.

Across the province, health officials reported another 466 new cases of COVID-19. Eleven more Ontarians have died due to the virus, including two whose deaths happened more than a month ago and 819 existing cases are now considered resolved.

 

COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
Infogram

Barrhaven elementary school closed following COVID-19 outbreak

Ottawa's four main school boards are reporting 112 active COVID-19 cases between them as of Tuesday afternoon and Ottawa Public Health is reporting 15 ongoing outbreaks.

One school in Ottawa, St. Benedict Catholic Elementary School in the Ottawa Catholic School Board, is currently reporting 13 active cases and is now closed.

In an updated emailed statement Tuesday night, the board said “Upon further investigation, OPH has declared an extension to the outbreak. The whole school has been closed, out of an abundance of caution, as our investigation suggests that there is evidence of the spread of COVID-19 to several cohorts in the school.”

After school on Tuesday, OPH officials were at the school handing out COVID-19 testing kits.

The board says OPH will continue to work with the school to monitor the situation.

It’s unclear how long the school closure will last, but OPH sent a letter to parents and guardians suggesting they should be prepared for 10 days or longer.

The severity of illness in school students and staff is unknown, but Ottawa Public Health is reporting zero COVID-19 patients under the age of 20 in hospitals or ICUs.

COVID-19 outbreaks are affecting 12 elementary schools, two secondary schools and one elementary/secondary school in the city.

A grade six class room is shown at Hunter's Glen Junior Public School which is part of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto, Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Trudeau moving ahead with COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal public servants

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reaffirming his pre-election pledge to make vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory for federal public servants.

"We're going to ensure the federal public service is vaccinated," the prime minister said while speaking at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Ottawa on Tuesday. "There is a clear requirement of vaccination for anyone who works for the federal government."

The federal government announced in August that it intends to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for all federal public service workers and Canadian Armed Forces members. The federal public service is Ottawa's largest employer.

Data for the number of public servants who had received COVID-19 vaccines to date was not immediately available but, locally, Ottawa Public Health says 83 per cent of adults 18 and older have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and are considered fully vaccinated.

What happens to federal workers who refuse to be vaccinated remains unclear. Trudeau told reporters the public service continues to work on its mandatory vaccination plan and he promised additional details in the coming weeks.

Speaking on CTV News Channel's Power Play on Tuesday, Health Minister Patty Hajdu told Evan Solomon that discussions around consequences for unvaccinated employees continue to take place.

"Those are conversations that are happening right now with the federal public service and the unions," Hajdu said. "By and large, people understand we need to protect each other in common spaces, especially workplaces."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media as he visits a vaccine clinic in Ottawa on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)

Ontario health unit reminds businesses of different proof of vaccination for armed forces members

In light of Ontario's new proof of vaccination program, the Renfrew County and District Health Unit (RCDHU) is reminding businesses that proof of vaccination is different for members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

Last week, Ontario mandated that anyone accessing certain non-essential businesses must provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 along with a piece of ID to gain entry under most circumstances. Most residents of Ontario access their proof of vaccination via the provincial government; however, CAF members receive a vaccination booklet from the military.

"CAF vaccination booklets, and/or cards or record sheets provided to members when they receive their vaccine through the CAF vaccine clinic is the CAF proof of vaccination document and members can show these documents if asked to prove their vaccination status," the Department of National Defence says on its website.

The RCDHU says soldiers can show their CAF-issued vaccination booklet along with their military ID as proof of vaccination.

"The authenticity of these documents can be confirmed by verifying that the name and service number on the document matches those on the individual’s military identification card," the RCDHU said in a press release.

Renfrew County is home to Garrison Petawawa.

A Canadian flag patch is shown on a soldier's shoulder in Trenton, Ont., on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg