OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health says 48 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19 and one more person has died.
Ottawa has been posting relatively low numbers compared to other large urban centres in Ontario, but Wednesday's report is a notable jump from the 16 new cases Ottawa Public Health reported on Tuesday.
Across Ontario, there are 2,408 new cases and 41 new deaths. There are 629 new cases in Toronto, 448 in Peel, 234 in Windsor-Essex County, 190 in York Region and 150 in Hamilton, Ontario's lockdown regions.
A provincewide lockdown begins at 12:01 a.m. Dec. 26.
According to Ottawa Public Health's COVID-19 dashboard, there have been 9,448 total laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the city since the pandemic began.
One more person with COVID-19 has died, bringing the city's death toll from the pandemic to 390 residents.
OTTAWA COVID-19 STATUS: ORANGE-RESTRICT
Ottawa remains in the "Orange-Restrict" level under the provincial reopening framework. Ottawa moved into the restriction level on Nov. 7.
A provincewide lockdown will move Ottawa into lockdown status as of 12:01 a.m. Dec. 26.
The "Orange-Restrict" level is for areas with a weekly rate of new cases per 100,000 people of between 25 and 39.9, a positivity rate between 1.3 per cent and 2.4 per cent and a reproduction number of 1 to 1.1.
Here is where Ottawa stands on those metrics currently, according to Ottawa Public Health:
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 27.4
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.2 per cent (Dec. 14 to 20)
- Reproduction Number: 0.92 (seven day average)
The "Yellow-Protect" level requires a weekly rate of new cases per 100,000 people of between 10 and 24.9, a positivity rate between 0.5 per cent and 1.2 per cent and a reproduction number of "approximately 1", according to the province.
HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA
The number of people with COVID-19 in Ottawa hospitals fell to 18 on Wednesday, from 20 on Tuesday.
There remain zero COVID-19 patients in the city's ICUs.
Of the people in hospital, one is in their 20s, one is in their 30s, one is in their 40s, one is in their 50s, three are in their 60s, four are in their 70s, seven are in their 80s, and one is 90 or older.
ACTIVE CASES IN OTTAWA
The number of people in Ottawa with active cases of COVID-19 held relatively steady on Wednesday, falling by one to 329 from 330 on Tuesday.
OPH reported 48 new recoveries on Wednesday, bringing the number of resolved cases to 8,729.
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.
CASES OF COVID-19 BY AGE CATEGORY
Here is a breakdown of all known COVID-19 cases in Ottawa by age category:
- 0-9 years old: Two new cases (654 cases total)
- 10-19 years-old: Nine new cases (1,130 cases total)
- 20-29 years-old: Seven new cases (1,963 cases total)
- 30-39 years-old: Four new cases (1,292 cases total)
- 40-49 years-old: 12 new cases (1,190 cases total)
- 50-59 years-old: Eight new cases (1,105 cases total)
- 60-69-years-old: Two new cases (724 cases total)
- 70-79 years-old: Two new cases (464 cases total)
- 80-89 years-old: One new case (547 cases total)
- 90+ years old: One new case (379 cases total)
TESTING
Public Health Ontario says 56,660 COVID-19 tests were performed across Ontario on Tuesday. There are 66,976 COVID-19 tests still under investigation provincewide.
The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce says 2,252 swabs were taken at assessment centres on Tuesday and local labs performed 5,710 tests.
There are 3,714 tests still in progress as of Dec. 22.
The positivity rate for the week of Dec. 14 to 20 is 1.2 per cent and the average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 27 hours.
CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION
Public Health Ontario is reporting the following in health units around eastern Ontario:
- Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 9 new cases
- Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 3 new cases
- Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 6 new cases
- Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 1 case removed
- Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 3 new cases
The Quebec government reported 48 new cases of COVID-19 in the Outaouais region, which includes Gatineau.
INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS
Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 20 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.
Two new outbreaks have been declared Wednesday, one at a local group home and one at a local shelter.
An outbreak at Pleasant Park Public School has ended.
There are four active community outbreaks, all linked to unidentified workplaces. OPH does not name which workplaces have outbreaks or how many cases are linked to each workplace outbreak.
To date, there have been 42 workplace outbreaks in Ottawa (4 active, 38 closed) accounting for 231 cases of COVID-19 and one death.
The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
- École élémentaire catholique Terre-Des-Jeunes
The long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and other spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
- Association Intégration Sociale d'Ottawa – 21034
- Besserer Place
- Bridlewood Trails Retirement Home
- Cité Parkway
- Courtyards on Eagleson
- Extendicare Medex
- Extendicare New Orchard Lodge
- Extendicare Starwood
- Extendicare West End Villa
- Group home - 27332 (NEW)
- Madonna Care Community
- Maison Accueil-Sagesse
- Manotick Place Retirement Home
- Maycourt Hospice
- Montfort Hospital - 3C, 4C
- Parkway House
- Rudy Shenkman Hospice
- Shelter - 27273 (NEW)
- Village at the Glebe Retirement Residence
A single laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 in a resident or staff member of a long-term care home, retirement home or shelter triggers an outbreak response, according to Ottawa Public Health. In childcare settings, a single confirmed, symptomatic case in a staff member, home daycare provider, or child triggers an outbreak.
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).
