OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health says 48 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19 and two more people have died.

This is the second day in a row that OPH has reported fewer than 50 new cases, after the health unit added 43 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the lowest daily case count locally since March 9.

The new cases bring Ottawa's pandemic total to 26,691 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the first case was confirmed on March 11, 2020. 

A total of 558 residents of Ottawa have died due to COVID-19.

Daily case counts are typically lower on Tuesdays because of lower testing volumes over the weekend. Public Health Ontario reported that just over 16,000 tests were completed provincewide on Monday. 

Across the province, health officials reported 1,039 new cases of COVID-19 in their daily report for Tuesday, alongside 2,018 newly resolved cases. Thirty-three more Ontarians have died due to COVID-19.

There was no update from the province on Monday due to the Victoria Day holiday. Ontario health officials said Tuesday that 1,446 new cases of COVID-19 were added to the total case count on Monday, alongside 2,072 newly resolved cases and that eight more Ontarians had died since Sunday's update.

Daily case counts in Ottawa have been steadily dropping throughout May, after peaking in mid-April, however, the number of reported deaths due to COVID-19 is on the rise, with 51 reported so far this month, compared to 41 in April. 

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

Ottawa entered Ontario's COVID-19 stay-at-home order at 12:01 a.m. April 8.

Ottawa Public Health data:

  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (May 16 to 22): 51.7 (down from 52.3)
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa (May 17 to 23): 5.7 per cent (up from 5.5. per cent May 12-20)
  • Reproduction number (seven day average): 0.90

Reproduction values greater than 1 indicate the virus is spreading and each case infects more than one contact. If it is less than 1, it means spread is slowing.

COVID-19 VACCINES IN OTTAWA

Ottawa Public Health updates vaccine numbers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

As of May 24:

  • Ottawa residents with 1 dose: 495,141 
  • Ottawa residents with 2 doses: 39,554 
  • Total doses received in Ottawa*: 527,650 

As of Monday, 58 per cent of Ottawa residents 18 and older had received at least one dose of the vaccine.

*Total doses received does not include AstraZeneca doses shipped to pharmacies and primary care clinics.

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

Ottawa Public Health reporting 51 people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses on Tuesday.

There are 12 people in intensive care units, down from 15.

Hospitalizations (and ICU admissions) by age category:

  • 0-9: 0
  • 10-19: 1 (1 in ICU)
  • 20-29: 3
  • 30-39: 2 (1 in ICU)
  • 40-49: 5 (1 in ICU)
  • 50-59: 11 (1 in ICU)
  • 60-69: 11 (6 in ICU)
  • 70-79: 6 (1 in ICU)
  • 80-89: 11 (1 in ICU)
  • 90+: 1

These data are based on figures from Ottawa Public Health's COVID-19 dashboard, which refer to residents of Ottawa and do not include patient transfers from other regions.

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

The number of people with known active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa is now below 900.

There are 855 active cases in Ottawa on Tuesday, down from 903 on Monday.

OPH reported that 94 more people recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. The total number of resolved cases of coronavirus in Ottawa is now 25,278.

The number of active cases is the number of total laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 minus the numbers of resolved cases and deaths. A case is considered resolved 14 days after known symptom onset or positive test result.

 

VARIANTS OF CONCERN

Ottawa Public Health data*:

  • Total B.1.1.7 (UK variant) cases: 5,261 (+33)
  • Total B.1.351 (South Africa variant) cases: 231
  • Total P.1 (Brazil variant) cases: 22 
  • Total B.1.617 (India variant): 3
  • Total B.1.617.2: 1
  • Other variant: 1
  • Total variants of concern/mutation cases: 6,190 (+34)
  • Deaths linked to variants/mutations: 56 (+2)

*OPH notes that that VOC and mutation trends must be treated with caution due to the varying time required to complete VOC testing and/or genomic analysis following the initial positive test for SARS-CoV-2. Test results may be completed in batches and data corrections or updates can result in changes to case counts that may differ from past reports.

COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: 10 new cases (2,165 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: 7 new cases (3,399 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: 10 new cases (6,004 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: 6 new cases (4,049 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: 6 new cases (3,512 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: 5 new cases (3,225 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: 3 new cases (1,906 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: 1 new case (1,069 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: 0 new cases (845 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: 1 new cases (514 total cases)
  • Unknown: 1 case reassigned to another category (3 cases total)  

COVID-19 TESTING IN OTTAWA

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce said 554 swabs were processed at assessment centres in Ottawa on Monday and labs performed 1,642 tests.

The average turnaround from the time a swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 16 hours.

Ontario health officials said 16,857 COVID-19 tests were completed across the province on Monday.

CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 5 new cases on Monday, 0 new cases on Tuesday
  • Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 3 new cases on Monday, 2 new cases on Tuesday
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 3 new cases on Monday, one case removed on Tuesday
  • Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 2 new cases on Monday, 12 new cases on Tuesday
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 3 new cases on Monday, 1 new case on Tuesday.
  • Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 16 new cases

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

The active community outbreaks are: 

  • Workplace – Construction: One outbreak 
  • Workplace – Health: One outbreak
  • Workplace – Restaurant: One outbreak
  • Workplace – Retail: One outbreak

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Little Acorn Early Learning (May 8)
  2. Vanier Cooperative Childcare (May 12) 
  3. Service A L'Enfrance Aldain St-Anne (May 13)
  4. Grandir Ensemble – Licensed Home Daycare (May 14)

The long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and other spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Shelter A-14541 (April 25) 
  2. Montfort Hospital - 4CR - (April 26)
  3. Montfort Hospital - 3C - (April 27)
  4. Montfort Hospital - 5C (May 3)
  5. Group Home A-15690 (May 4)  
  6. Queensway Carleton Hospital – C3 (May 5) 
  7. Extendicare Starwood - 2 South (May 7) NEW
  8. Villa Marconi (May 10)
  9. Rooming House (A-16432) (May 11) 
  10. The Ottawa Hospital General Campus - Single Unit 5E (May 15) 
  11. Elmsmere Villa Retirement Home (May 17)
  12. Group Home A-16961 (May 18) 
  13. Centre D'Accueil Champlain (May 19) 
  14. Valley Stream Retirement Residents - Single Unit 2nd floor (May 21) 
  15. Group Home A-17246 (May 22) 

 As of April 7, two cases of COVID-19 in a resident or staff member of a long-term care home, retirement home with an with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the facility is considered an outbreak in a long-term care home or retirement home. One laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 in a staff member or resident of other institutions such as shelters, group homes, is considered an outbreak. In childcare settings, two children or staff or household member cases of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 within a 14-day period where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the childcare establishment is considered an outbreak in a childcare establishment.

Under provincial guidelines, a COVID-19 outbreak in a school is defined as two or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in students and/or staff in a school with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the school (including transportation and before or after school care).

Two or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in patients and/or staff in a hospital setting with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the hospital is considered an outbreak in a public hospital.