COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Sept. 3, 2021

The Ottawa sign on York Street in Ottawa's ByWard Market. (Photo by Jacob Meissner on Unsplash)

OTTAWA -

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

Fast Facts:

• Ottawa sees spike in new COVID-19 vaccine appointments after Ontario unveils vaccine passport
• Ottawa's top doctor concerned about the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations
• Ontario sees highest COVID-19 case count in three months

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

• New COVID-19 cases: 39 new cases on Thursday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 28,412
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 19.4
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.9 per cent (seven day average)
• Reproduction Number: 1.04 (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 sees spike in new COVID-19 vaccine appointments after Ontario unveils vaccine passport

COVID-19 vaccination appointments in Ottawa doubled in the 24 hours after the Ontario government unveiled plans for a new COVID-19 vaccination passport.

"On average, at the start of the week we had 307 new daily bookings and in the last 24-hour period we have now seen 623 new additional bookings," said Ottawa Public Health in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

"In addition, there were 544 walk-ins (Wednesday)."

On Wednesday, the Ontario government announced that as of Sept. 22, only fully vaccinated residents will be able to access non-essential businesses, including restaurants, gyms, concerts and sporting events.

As of Wednesday, 79 per cent of residents 12 and older had received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 86 per cent of eligible Ottawa residents have received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The COVID-19 vaccine immunization clinic at the Nepean Sportsplex in Ottawa, Ont. (CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa's top doctor concerned about the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations as Ontario faces the fourth wave

Ottawa's medical officer of health says COVID-19 vaccination policies, masking policies and limiting social contacts will help Ottawa combat the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Dr. Vera Etches warns the current vaccination pace in Ottawa may not be quick enough as new modelling warns Ontario is facing a "substantial" fourth wave of the pandemic with up to 4,000 cases a day by October,

Ottawa Public Health has set a goal of over 90 per cent of eligible Ottawa residents fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

"The pace if it continues as it is would be around mid-October (to reach 90 per cent), that's a bit late when you can compare it to the modelling from the Ontario Science Table that the resurgence is likely going to be here the third week of September or so," said Etches on Thursday morning.

"It is important that people are protected as soon as possible with the vaccine, and I am encouraged that the ongoing conversation on the value of vaccines, the support from policies, the different access in neighbourhoods will increase the rate."

Ontario reports highest COVID-19 case count in three months, 39 cases in Ottawa

Ottawa Public Health reported 39 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the same day Ontario saw the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in nearly three months.

No new deaths were linked to COVID-19 in Ottawa.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa in March 2020, there have been 28,412 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 593 deaths.

Public Health Ontario reported 865 new cases across Ontario, the highest one-day case count since June 4, when 914 cases were reported.

 

COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
Infogram