OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.

Fast Facts:

  • Ontario extends stay-at-home order until June 2
  • Ottawa police turn away more than 2,000 drivers at Quebec border
  • Ottawa sees triple-digit COVID-19 case increase for second straight day
  • Ottawa trustee calls for COVID-19 vaccination clinics in schools

COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):

  • New COVID-19 cases: 104 cases on Thursday
  • Total COVID-19 cases: 25,732
  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 71.5
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 6.6 per cent (May 5 to May 11)
  • Reproduction Number: 0.84 (seven day average)

Testing:

Who should get a test?

Ottawa Public Health says you can get a COVID-19 test at an assessment centre, care clinic, or community testing site if any of the following apply to you:

  • You are showing COVID-19 symptoms;
  • You have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus, as informed by Ottawa Public Health or exposure notification through the COVID Alert app;
  • You are a resident or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by Ottawa Public Health;
  • You are a resident, a worker or a visitor to long-term care, retirement homes, homeless shelters or other congregate settings (for example: group homes, community supported living, disability-specific communities or congregate settings, short-term rehab, hospices and other shelters);
  • You are a person who identifies as First Nations, Inuit or Métis;
  • You are a person travelling to work in a remote First Nations, Inuit or Métis community;
  • You received a preliminary positive result through rapid testing;
  • You require testing 72 hours before a scheduled (non-urgent or emergent) surgery (as recommended by your health care provider);
  • You are a patient and/or their 1 accompanying escort tra­velling out of country for medical treatment;
  • You are an international student that has passed their 14-day quarantine period;
  • You are a farm worker;
  • You are an educator who cannot access pharmacy-testing; or
  • You are in a targeted testing group as outlined in guidance from the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Ottawa:

There are several sites for COVID-19 testing in Ottawa. To book an appointment, visit https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/shared-content/assessment-centres.aspx

  • The Brewer Ottawa Hospital/CHEO Assessment Centre: Open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • COVID-19 Drive-Thru Assessment Centre at 300 Coventry Road: Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • The Moodie Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Open Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (testing only)
  • The Heron Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (testing only)
  • Southwest Ottawa COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Richmond Memorial Community Centre: Open Sunday, Monday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
  • Centretown Community Health Centre: Open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Sandy Hill Community Health Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 pm.
  • Somerset West Community Health Centre: Open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday

Vaccine eligibility screening tool:

To check and see if you are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Ottawa, click here

COVID-19 screening tool:

The COVID-19 screening tool for students heading back to in-person classes can be found here.

Symptoms:

Classic Symptoms: fever, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath

Other symptoms: sore throat, difficulty swallowing, new loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, pneumonia, new or unexplained runny nose or nasal congestion

Less common symptoms: unexplained fatigue, muscle aches, headache, delirium, chills, red/inflamed eyes, croup

Stay-at-home order extended: What you need to know about the restrictions in Ottawa

The Ontario government is extending the stay-at-home order for two more weeks, keeping restrictions on interprovincial travel, social gatherings, essential retail and outdoor recreational amenities, including golf courses and tennis courts.

Premier Doug Ford announced the stay-at-home order for Ottawa and all of Ontario will remain in effect until at least June 2. The stay-at-home order that was introduced in April was set to expire on May 20.

"We need to do everything in our power to protect this summer for all Ontarians. My goal is to have the most normal July and August possible," said Ford on Thursday.

Speaking on CTV News at Five, Mayor Jim Watson said extending the stay-at-home order is the right choice.

"The numbers were going down, in our case, in Ottawa, which was a good sign but not down far enough to venture out of the lockout for now," said Watson.

Doug Ford

Ottawa police turn away more than 2,000 drivers at Quebec border

Ottawa police have turned away 2,086 drivers at Ottawa-Gatineau interprovincial crossings for reasons officers deemed were not essential since deploying checkpoints in mid-April.

Those drivers were among more than 44,700 drivers screened at bridges and ferry crossings between April 19 and May 12, the Ottawa Police Service said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

The service estimates the cost to patrol the five interprovincial bridges and two ferry crossings will be at least $650,000.

Ottawa Police at inter-provincial border crossing

Ottawa sees triple-digit COVID-19 case increase for second straight day

Ottawa Public Health reported 104 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday, the second straight day with a triple-digit increase in cases.

Five more deaths linked to novel coronavirus were also reported.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, 2020, there have been 25,732 cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 533 deaths.

 

Ottawa trustee calls for COVID-19 vaccination clinics in schools

An Ottawa public school board trustee suggests if elementary and secondary students return to the classroom this spring, it should be used as an opportunity to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible students.

Ottawa Carleton District School Board Trustee Mark Fisher tells Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa at Work with guest host Graham Richardson, it would be great to get schools open and their kids back to school before the end of the school year.

"If we can then use this opportunity to do a mass vaccination campaign for our students and for our staff going into the summertime, I think that sets up really well for the fall."

Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches said Wednesday that "it's looking positive" to be able to open schools towards the end of May if the rate of COVID continues to come down in the community.

Child gets vaccine