March 19: Two new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Ottawa

OTTAWA -- Two new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Ottawa.

The Ontario Ministry of Health’s 10:30 a.m. Thursday update shows two new cases in Ottawa. Both cases are self-isolating.

The two new cases are:

• A woman in her 60s. She recently travelled to Germany and Malta.
• A man in his 40s. The Ministry of Health says the case is related to travel to Spain, Belgium, Canary Islands, The case also mentions "close contact."

The Ministry of Health has confirmed 16 cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa.

According to Ottawa Public Health, there are 19 cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa.  A spokesperson for Ottawa Public Health tells CTV News Ottawa the 19 cases of novel coronavirus includes both confirmed and "indeterminate cases" that are awaiting final test results. 

One of the "indeterminate cases" has been hospitalized, but no other details were released.

Ottawa Public Health is aware of 19 cases of #COVID19 in Ottawa. This includes confirmed cases and indeterminate cases (i.e. awaiting final test results). It can take 4-5 days to receive final results. We are currently updating our website to reflect the number of cases in Ottawa pic.twitter.com/KEjot8bxqf

— Ottawa Public Health (@ottawahealth) March 19, 2020

Earlier Thursday morning, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches told CTV Morning Live that there are five "intermediate" cases of novel coronavirus in Ottawa. 

Dr. Etches said the five new cases are classified as “intermediate” because another laboratory test is required before they are confirmed. The cases aren't counted on Ontario's Ministry of Health website. 

Ontario reported 43 new cases of COVID-19 across the province on Thursday, bringing the total to 257. 

The Ministry of Health says there are nearly 4,000 people currently under investigation for the virus. More than 12,000 people have tested negative for COVID-19.