Coronavirus in Ottawa | COVID-19

Will Ottawa Public Health stop updating its COVID-19 dashboard?

Ottawa Public Health is clarifying the confusion that has been circulating on social media around its plans to phase out its COVID-19 dashboard.

Small businesses still facing difficulties ahead of CEBA loan repayment deadline

A major deadline is looming for small business owners to repay pandemic loans but some say they need more time or else they could end up closing for good.

Kingston General Hospital 'bursting at the seams' with COVID-19 and respiratory illness patients

The Kingston General Hospital (KGH) says a surge of emergency department inpatients, including a day that had a near record 580 admissions, has the hospital struggling to keep up as COVID-19 and the respiratory virus season peaks across the province.

Watch Health Reports

How COVID-19, flu and cold symptoms can differ

Variants of Concern

EU agency sees risk of COVID deaths rising as Omicron subvariants spread

Two new subvariants of Omicron, BA.4 and BA.5, are spreading more quickly than other coronavirus variants in Europe, which could lead to more hospitalizations and deaths as they become dominant, the EU's disease prevention agency said on Monday.

COVID-19 antibody treatments aren't as effective on variants. Here's why

A new study has found that COVID-19 antibody treatments aren't as effective for new variants due to the evolving mutations of the differing virus strains.

WHO: COVID cases and deaths falling nearly everywhere

The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths reported globally fell everywhere except the Middle East and Southeast Asia last week, according to a World Health Organization weekly report released Wednesday.

Moderna says updated COVID shot boosts Omicron protection

Moderna's experimental COVID-19 vaccine that combines its original shot with protection against the omicron variant appears to work, the company announced Wednesday.

Dominant coronavirus mutant contains ghost of pandemic past

The coronavirus mutant that is now dominant in the United States is a member of the omicron family but scientists say it spreads faster than its Omicron predecessors, is adept at escaping immunity and might possibly cause more serious disease.

COVID-19 identified by trained dogs sniffing skin swabs: study

A new study that brought sniffer dogs to an airport to search for COVID-19 has found that dogs may be able to detect the virus with high accuracy just from smelling skin swabs.

Do COVID-19 rapid tests work on Omicron?

A recent study revealed that COVID-19 rapid antigen tests may be less sensitive to newer variants, leaving some to wonder just how accurate these tests actually are. Experts share how to get the most accurate results when testing for the virus.

China's COVID plan is 'unsustainable' due to Omicron: WHO

The head of the World Health Organization said China's extreme approach to containing the coronavirus is unsustainable because of the highly infectious nature of the Omicron variant, but that it's up to every country to decide what policy to pursue.

INTERACTIVES

Re-opening Canada

Vaccine mandates for domestic travel, outgoing international flights to be suspended

The federal government will announce that COVID-19 vaccine mandates for domestic travel on planes and trains, as well as outgoing international travel, will be suspended, senior government sources have told CTV News.

Alberta to end pandemic rules including mandatory isolation

All remaining COVID-19 public health restrictions in Alberta will be lifted Tuesday at 11:59 p.m., including mandatory isolation requirements.

'Great step forward': Travel industry applauds suspension of random COVID-19 testing at airports

The federal government has announced that it will be temporarily suspending mandatory random COVID-19 testing at Canadian airports for vaccinated travellers beginning June 11, before moving randomized testing off-site as of July 1.

CTVNews.ca Coronavirus Coverage

UN report: Many countries are bouncing back from COVID pandemic but the poorest are not

Many countries are bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the poorest are not and a significant number are seeing conditions deteriorating, a report from the UN Development Program said Wednesday.

WHO says JN.1 COVID strain, a 'variant of interest,' poses low risk

The World Health Organization on Tuesday classified the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a "variant of interest" but said it did not pose much threat to public health.

As 2023 holidays dawn, face masks have settled in as an occasional feature of the American landscape

As 2023 draws to an end, with promises of holiday parties and crowds and lots of inadvertent exchanges of shared air, mask-wearing is much more off than on around the country even as COVID's long tail lingers. The days of anything approaching a widespread mask mandate would be like the Ghost of Christmas Past, a glimpse into what was.

Many Canadians have had long COVID for almost 4 years. Researchers say there's hope

Forty-two per cent of the people in Canada reporting lasting symptoms had them for a year or more, but Canadian doctors and scientists want long COVID patients to know that research is accelerating.

Kingston General Hospital 'bursting at the seams' with COVID-19 and respiratory illness patients

How COVID-19 Affects Me

Canada's COVID Alert app will be discontinued as PCR testing becomes rare

Canada's COVID Alert app will be discontinued in the coming days, a federal government source tells The Canadian Press.

Vaccines likely to reduce risk of long COVID, experts say, but by how much?

As more details emerge about the long-term effects of COVID-19, experts say vaccination is likely to have protective benefits against long COVID, also known as post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection. But an important question that has yet to be answered is exactly how much protection it offers.

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine may pose higher heart inflammation risk: CDC

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine may pose a higher risk of heart inflammation in some age groups than Pfizer-BioNTech's shot, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday, citing recent data.

Prenatal COVID exposure affects babies' motor skills, speech, studies find

Infants born to those who tested positive for COVID-19 during pregnancy may have neurodevelopmental issues after birth, according to preliminary findings from two separate studies out of the U.S. and Spain.

Is there any benefit to wearing a mask when nobody else is?

A province-wide mask mandate that was first introduced in October 2020 has now been lifted in virtually all of the so-called “high-risk” settings where it had remained in place, including on public transit.

Your Finances During the Crisis

More Canadians only making minimum payment on credit cards: TransUnion

Some Canadians are seeing their credit card balances grow as the cost-of-living crisis and higher interest rates eat into household budgets, a new report shows.

Why young people keep getting caught in debt traps and how to break the cycle

Canadians are feeling the squeeze between incomes that haven't kept up with the cost of living, housing crises in markets across the country and rising interest rates brought in to control inflation. Experts share some tips for managing debt and spending.

B.C. cities fail to crack national housing affordability list

A new list of Canada’s most affordable cities has been released and not a single community in British Columbia cracked the top 15.

Be prepared when using your credit card while travelling to ensure trip goes smoothly

Having your credit card declined when you know you're up to date on your payments can be a nerve-racking experience, but having it happen when you're travelling can be even more stressful.

opinion

opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool

Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.

CTV News Ottawa Top Stories

Antiwar protesters call for inquiry into Canadian arms trade amid Israel-Hamas war

Protesters blocked traffic outside a major military industry trade show in Ottawa Wednesday morning before moving on to Parliament Hill to condemn the ongoing violence in Gaza and Canada's arms trade with Israel.

Garbage limits coming to a curbside near you

It is official — the city of Ottawa's new curbside garbage policy will come into effect this fall. City council gave the three-item garbage limit the rubber stamp on Wednesday. It will start on Sept. 30.

Barry's Bay, Ont. Beer Store to close June 16

The Beer Store in Barry's Bay, a crucial business to the small town in the Ottawa Valley, is set to close June 16.

LaSalle Causeway bridge in Kingston, Ont. will need to be demolished

The LaSalle Causeway Bascule Bridge will require being demolished, despite the federal government's assurances that repairs of the bridge were progressing after it was damaged at the end of March.

uOttawa Heart Institute celebrating 40 years of its first heart transplant

The University of Ottawa Heart Institute celebrated Wednesday the 40th anniversary of the first life-saving heart transplant.

Driver charged for using emergency lights on decommissioned ambulance in Ottawa

A wannabe paramedic was charged after driving a decommissioned and unregistered ambulance with its emergency lights flashing on Tuesday morning.

Ottawa's Diefenbunker museum celebrates 1 million visitors

The Diefenbunker, Canada's Cold War Museum, celebrated a major milestone on Wednesday, welcoming its one millionth visitor.

Ottawa Catholic School Board joins $7.1-billion lawsuit against social media giants

The Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) and six other boards across Ontario are joining a lawsuit against tech giants like Meta, Snapchat and TikTok, accusing them of "disrupting student learning and the education system."