OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- 20 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Ottawa on Saturday.
- 148 new cases of COVID-19 were reported across Ontario.
- The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is looking to reduce class sizes in areas where COVID-19 infections are high.
- The Brockville Public Library is reopening this week after being shuttered due to the pandemic.
- An infectious disease specialist is warning the virus is "not going away very quickly."
Testing:
- The COVID-19 assessment centre at 151 Brewer Way is open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today.
- The COVID-19 care clinic at 595 Moodie Dr. is closed today.
- The COVID-19 care clinic at 1485 Heron Rd. is closed today.
Symptoms:
- Classic Symptoms: fever, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath
- Other symptoms: sore throat, difficulty swallow, 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
Twenty new cases of COVID-19
(Can't see this infographic? Click here.)
With an increase of 20 new COVID-19 cases in Ottawa, and just four resolved cases, the number of known active cases in the capital is back above 200.
The last time it was that high was Aug. 3.
No new deaths were reported Saturday, but two new outbreaks were reported.
Ontario sees highest daily case count in over a month
Ontario health officials reported 148 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the largest one-day increase since July 24.
No new deaths were reported across the province, however, after six deaths were reported on Friday.
The lowest number of new cases in the past week was on Wednesday when 88 new infections were recorded.
OCDSB making class sizes smaller in some schools in COVID-heavy areas
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board says some schools, in areas with a greater concentration of COVID-19, will have smaller class sizes in the fall.
Superintended of Program and Learning K-12 Nadia Towaij says reducing class sizes in neighbourhoods identified by Ottawa Public Health has having a high rate of COVID-19 is part of the board's plan.
"The schools that are in the areas that are identified by OPH will be privileged with small class sizes, so that has been taken into our design," Towaij said.
First look inside the Brockville Public Library following pandemic closure
The Brockville Public Library will reopen to the public Sept. 1, but there will be some changes, with access granted only to the main floor.
Visitors will be asked to sanitize their hands when they come in, face coverings will be mandatory, a 50 person capacity will be enforced, and only four computers will be available at a time.
Still, library staff say they're excited to welcome visitors back.
COVID-19 not going away very quickly
As Ontario reports its highest number of COVID-19 cases in a month, an infectious disease specialist warns "no one is absolutely invincible" to COVID-19 and everyone needs to take steps to protect themselves and others.
Dr. Abdu Sharkawy says we will need to learn to live with COVID-19, because "this disease is not going away very quickly."
"No one is absolutely invincible when it comes to this virus, and it's in all of our best interest to just take accountability both for ourselves and everyone around us to prevent being infected in the first place," he said.
And finally...
It appears the pandemic control measures we're taking to keep COVID-19 at bay are pushing seasonal flu numbers down.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says the latest figures show “exceptionally low level of influenza activity.” From July 19 to Aug. 22, the percentage of tests that came back positive for influenza was 0.03 per cent, a fraction of the five-year average of 1.43 per cent.
The reason? Patients with flu-like symptoms may be less prone to seek medical attention, officials say, and six months of physical distancing measures may also have helped stall the spread of the airborne illness.
And before you ask: testing for influenza in the latest five-week period was higher than usual, with reporting laboratories administering three times the average number of tests for this time of year.
With files from CTV's Sean Davidson and Graham Slaughter.
