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COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts June 18, 2021

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OTTAWA -

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

Fast Facts:

  • Eastern Ontario's top doctor wants Ontario to wait 21 days before entering Step 2
  • Eighteen of the 32 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday involved residents under the age of 30
  • 75 per cent of Ottawa adults have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose
  • mRNA vaccine now preferred as second dose following AstraZeneca shot: NACI
  • Ontario expands eligibility for second doses

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

  • New COVID-19 cases: 32 new cases on Thursday
  • Total COVID-19 cases: 27,513
  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 17.4
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 3.6 per cent (June 6-15)
  • Reproduction Number: 0.90 (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 require testing 72 hours before a scheduled (non-urgent or emergent) surgery (as recommended by your health care provider);
  • You are a patient and/or their 1 accompanying escort tra­velling out of country for medical treatment;
  • You are an international student that has passed their 14-day quarantine period;
  • 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.

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 Heron Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 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

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

Eastern Ontario's top doctor wants Ontario to wait 21 days before entering Step 2

Eastern Ontario's medical officer of health wants the Ontario government to stick to the three-week timeline in the Roadmap to Reopen plan before easing more restrictions, to allow more time for people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Premier Doug Ford plans to meet with chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams to discuss whether Ontario can make an earlier move to Step 2.

Ontario's three-step plan released in May stated the province must stay in each stage for at least 21 days. Step 1 began in Ottawa on June 11, meaning Step 2 is scheduled to begin on July 2.

Speaking on CTV News at Five, Dr. Paul Roumeliotis said he would like Ontario to wait the full three weeks before relaxing the restrictions.

"I would stick to the 21 days," said Dr. Roumeliotis.

"We're seeing wastewater numbers go up in Ottawa, as well as in other parts of the province. We're worried about the Delta."

On Thursday, Dr. Williams said he would only consider speeding up Step 2 by "a day or two."

A patron drinks a beverage at a patio in the ByWard Market in Ottawa, as patios open in Ontario's first phase of re-opening amidst the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, on Saturday, June 12, 2021. (Justin Tang/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

32 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday

Ottawa Public Health reported 32 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday, the largest one-day increase in new cases this week.

No new deaths linked to the virus were announced.

Eighteen of the 32 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday involved residents under the age of 30.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, 2020, there have been 27,513 laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 586 deaths.

 

75 per cent of Ottawa adults have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose

Three-quarters of Ottawa adults have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, but the city's top doctor says vaccine coverage is not enough to stop the spread of the virus.

Mayor Jim Watson tweeted Thursday morning that 75 per cent of Ottawa adults 18 and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.  As of Wednesday, 63 per cent of Ottawa residents 12 and over had received at least one dose.

"What we're more concerned about is if that translates into a sustained rise, rapid uptick that's been associated with hospitalizations," said Dr. Etches.

"What's protecting us against that is largely the vaccines, but it's not enough. So the vaccination rate for our whole population is about 63 per cent, that is good. That means all those vaccinated people are less likely to get severely illness, less likely to be hospitalized even when COVID is spreading."

Health-care worker Thi Nguyen administers Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine to a patient at a COVID-19 clinic in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

mRNA vaccine now preferred as second dose following AstraZeneca shot: NACI

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization is now recommending that people who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine receive a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna.

NACI’s latest advice takes into consideration the most recent evidence on the rare instances of blood clots associated with the AstraZeneca shot and the increase of mRNA vaccine supply arriving in Canada.

For those who receive a first jab of an mRNA vaccine, it’s advised they seek the same product or use another mRNA vaccine.

Health-care worker Thi Nguyen administers Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine to a patient at a COVID-19 clinic in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Ontario expands eligibility for second doses, promises new rules coming 'very shortly' for vaccinated people

Ontario is expanding eligibility for second COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Starting Monday, all adults in Ontario who received either Pfizer or Moderna as their first dose before May 10 will be eligible to book their second shot.

The province said everyone else in Ontario over the age of 18 who got a first shot on or after May 10 will be eligible to book their second dose starting June 28.

Health-care worker Thi Nguyen administers Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine to a patient at a COVID-19 clinic in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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