OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health is reporting another 237 people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19, pushing the city's number of active cases beyond 1,800, the highest ever seen in the capital.

OPH's COVID-19 dashboard shows that there have been 18,260 total laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the first case was confirmed on March 11, 2020. 

One more person in Ottawa has died of COVID-19. The city's pandemic death toll now stands at 468 residents.

Monday's case count is just three cases shy of Saturday's record-breaking figure of 240 positive cases. On Sunday, medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches warned Ottawans that cases are surging too quickly for the health system to keep up and that vaccinations will not be enough to turn the curve. She urged everyone to stay home as much as possible and limit close contacts with anyone outside of one's household. 

OPH did report more than 16,000 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered locally since Friday and Ottawa has received nearly 20,000 additional doses, including 11,200 AstraZeneca shots that are being administered at local pharmacies.

However, OPH also reported increased hospitalizations in the city on Monday. 

There were 2,938 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported across Ontario on Monday, including 230 in Ottawa, along with 10 new deaths and 1,761 newly resolved cases. The province did not provide updated figures on Easter Sunday, but on Monday said the there were also 3,041 new cases, 12 new deaths and 1,899 newly resolved cases reported on the holiday.

Ottawa Public Health reported 198 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday.

The key incidence rate per 100,000 population rose to 119 on Monday from just under 115 on Sunday. The testing positivity rate in Ottawa is now at 7.5 per cent, up from 6.5 per cent for the week ending April 1. The estimated reproduction number--that is, the number of secondary cases caused by an infected individual--is holding steady at 1.17. Anything higher than 1 indicates the virus is spreading faster and each person infects more than one additional contact.

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

Ottawa entered Ontario's COVID-19 "shutdown" at 12:01 a.m. April 3.

Ottawa Public Health data:

  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (March 28-April 3): 119.1 
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 7.8 per cent (March 29-April 4)
  • Reproduction number: 1.17 (seven day average)

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.

VACCINES IN OTTAWA

As of April 5:

  • First vaccine doses administered: 140,914 (+16,452 since Friday)
  • Second vaccine doses administered: 26,941 (+117 since Friday)
  • Total doses received: 193,710 (+19,300 since Friday)

OPH says the city received a shipment of 11,200 AstraZeneca doses and 8,100 Moderna doses on April 4.

VARIANTS OF CONCERN

Ottawa Public Health data*:

  • Total B.1.1.7 (UK variant) cases: 23
  • Total B.1.351 (South Africa variant) cases: 6
  • Total P.1 (Brazil variant) cases: 0
  • Total variants of concern/mutation cases: 601
  • Deaths linked to variants/mutations: 4

*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.

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

There are 53 people in Ottawa-area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses, up from 47 on Sunday.

Sixteen people people are in the intensive care unit.

Of the people in hospital, one is in their 20s, three are in their 30s, three are in their 40s, 14 are in their 50s (four are in the ICU), 12 are in their 60s (seven are in the ICU), 10 are in their 70s (four are in the ICU), seven are in their 80s (one is in the ICU), and three are 90 or older.

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

Ottawa Public Health is reporting its highest figure of known active cases so far this pandemic. 

There are 1,815 known active cases in Ottawa, up from 1,641 on Sunday.

Sixty-two more Ottawa residents have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 15,977 resolved cases of COVID-19 in the capital.

The number of active cases is the number of total 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.

 

COVID-19 TESTING

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce says 1,831 swabs were processed at local assessment centres on April 4 and labs performed 4,032 tests.

The Average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 29 hours. 

The taskforce also updated the testing positivity rate to 7.8 per cent. An earlier update from Ottawa Public Health said it was 7.5 per cent. Both OPH and the Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce are in alignment with the rate at 7.8 per cent.

The Ontario government says 36,563 COVID-19 tests were completed provincewide on Sunday.

COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: 10 new cases (1,400 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: 25 new cases (2,340 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: 68 new cases (4,035 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: 37 new cases (2,634 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: 45 new cases (2,376 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: 21 new cases (2,185 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: 20 new cases (1,300 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: 9 new cases (764 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: 2 new cases (744 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: 0 new cases (479 total cases)
  • Unknown: 0 new cases (3 cases total)

CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 30 new cases on Sunday, 32 new cases on Monday
  • Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 22 new cases on Sunday, 11 new cases on Monday
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 1 new case on Sunday, 10 new cases on Monday
  • Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 7 new cases on Sunday, 11 new cases on Monday
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 7 new cases on Sunday, 4 new cases on Monday
  • Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 118 new cases on Sunday, 111 new cases Monday

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 39 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

Six new outbreaks were declared Monday.

There are six active community outbreaks: Two outbreaks are linked to services workplaces, one is linked to a private social event, one is linked to a restaurant, one is linked to a recreational workplace, and one is linked to construction.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. St. Luke's Childcare Centre (March 15)
  2. Centrepointe Home Daycare (March 26)
  3. St. Gabriel Elementary School (March 29)
  4. St. Leonard Elementary School (March 30)
  5. St. Isidore Elementary School (March 31)
  6. Connaught Public School (April 2)
  7. Fallingbrook Community Elementary School (April 2)
  8. Our Lady of Fatima Elementary School (April 2)
  9. Sacred Heart High School (April 3) 
  10. École secondaire publique Louis-Riel (April 3) NEW

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

  1. The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (Feb. 19)
  2. St. Vincent Hospital (March 6)
  3. Extendicare Medex (March 9)
  4. Peter D. Clark LTCH (March 10)
  5. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 12)
  6. Chapel Hill RH (March 13)
  7. St. Patrick's Home (March 14)
  8. St. Vincent Hospital (March 15)
  9. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 16)
  10. Shelter (March 21)
  11. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 21)
  12. Supported Independent Living (March 23)
  13. Timberwalk Retirement Home (March 24)
  14. Longfields Manor (March 24)
  15. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 26)
  16. St. Vincent Hospital - 5N (March 26)
  17. Jardin Royal Garden (March 27)
  18. Sisters of Charity (March 28)
  19. Landmark Court Retirement Home (March 30)
  20. Hillel Lodge (March 30)
  21. Group Home A-11533) (March 31)
  22. Manotick Place Retirement (March 31)
  23. Wildpine Retirement Living (April 1)
  24. Queensway Carleton Hospital (April 2)
  25. Garry J. Armstrong (April 3) NEW
  26. Group Home (April 3) NEW
  27. Roberston House (April 3) NEW
  28. William E. Hay Centre (April 3) NEW
  29. Park Place (April 4) NEW

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, 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 staff or patient cases of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 within a specified hospital unit within a 14-day period where both cases could have reasonably acquired their infection in hospital is considered an outbreak in a public hospital.