OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- Back to school for some students in Ottawa today
- Ottawa Public Health reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday
- Ottawa Police, Ottawa Bylaw threaten $880 fines to post-secondary students not following COVID-19 measures
- Alta Vista, Beacon Hill-Cyrville have the highest rates of COVID-19 in Ottawa
- Ottawa resident alerted to COVID-19 exposure through app tests positive for novel coronavirus
- Algonquin College will be offering online courses until at least April 2021
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 open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today.
• The COVID-19 care clinic at 1485 Heron Rd. is open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 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
Back to School
Some Ottawa students head back to school today for the first time since mid-March, kicking off the new school year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's the first day of school for elementary school students with the Conseil des ecoles catholiques du Centre-Est and some schools with the Conseil des ecoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario.
The CECCE says high school students in Brockville, Kingston, Kemptville and Pembroke return to class today, while high school students in Ottawa start classes on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Twelve new COVID-19 cases in Ottawa
Ottawa Public Health is reporting a double-digit increase in COVID-19 cases in Ottawa for the ninth time in 10 days.
Twelve new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Wednesday, along with no new deaths.
Since the first case of COVID-19 on March 11, there have been 2,987 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 267 deaths.
Ottawa Public Health reports 206 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa.
Party patrol prepares for start of post-secondary school year in Ottawa
Ottawa Police and Ottawa Bylaw will be deploying significant resources into areas around universities and colleges this fall to make sure everyone follows the COVID-19 measures.
Mayor Jim Watson and Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly warned on Wednesday that officers will issue $880 tickets to people hosting giant parties that break the COVID-19 rules for gatherings.
"The Ottawa Police Service takes this public health and public safety issue very, very seriously," said Chief Sloly.
The chief reminded students that Ontario's COVID-19 measures limit indoor gatherings to a maximum of 50 people, and 100 people for outdoor events.
Alta Vista, Beacon Hill-Cyrville have highest rates of COVID-19 in Ottawa
New Ottawa Public Health data shows Alta Vista and Beacon Hill-Cyrville have the highest rates of COVID-19 in Ottawa.
Ottawa Public Health says its "Snapshot of COVID-19 across Ottawa Wards Report" shows that "COVID-19 is present in every single community within Ottawa."
Alta Vista continues to have the highest rate of COVID-19 infections in Ottawa, with 403 cases per 100,000 people. Beacon Hill-Cyrville in Ottawa's east-end has the second highest rate, at 360 cases per 100,000 people.
Ottawa resident discovers COVID-19 exposure through COVID Alert App
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches says an Ottawa resident alerted to exposure to COVID-19 through the COVID Alert App has tested positive for COVID-19.
Dr. Etches told reporters the resident was alerted to the exposure through the app, went to get tested and tested positive.
"The more people that download the COVID-19 app the better. It will help us the larger percentage of the population that uses the app."
The COVID Alert App was downloaded more than 2.2 million times in the first month after its launch. Only 110 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have entered the information into the app.
Algonquin College moves online until end of Winter Term
Algonquin College is planning to offer most of its courses online until the end of April 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a letter to students on the eve of the start of the Fall Term, Algonquin College President Claude Brule says the college will offer many programs through remote learning for the Winter Term, which is scheduled to start in January.
"Our Winter Term plan is to minimize face-to-face instruction and promote the delivery of remote academic instruction whenever possible. Many programs – and most services – will be offered remotely and the remaining programs will be a combination of remote learning and select on-campus academic activities."
