Ottawa Public Health reports 13 new cases on Friday, calls numbers an 'underestimate' of COVID situation
Ottawa Public Health is reporting 13 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, but the city's associate medical officer of health suggests the numbers are an "underestimate" of the COVID-19 situation in the capital.
One new death was linked to the virus.
Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, 2020, there have been 27,527 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 587 deaths.
The 13 new cases in Ottawa on Friday follows 32 new cases on Thursday and 22 new cases on Wednesday. Ottawa Public Health reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, which was the lowest one-day increase in cases since Sept. 1.
Speaking with reporters on Friday, Dr. Brent Moloughney said COVID-19 monitoring indicators show outbreaks, hospitalizations and the number of people testing positive continues to decline.
"That said, the COVID-19 wastewater viral signal is going up, suggesting more transmission of COVID-19 in our city," said Dr. Moloughney.
"Fewer people are getting tested for COVID. Therefore the reported number of infections continues to be an underestimate of the number of infections in the community. Many people can be asymptomatic."
Moloughney notes COVID-19 transmission is higher than it was last summer, with more transmissibe COVID variants.
"We will need to reach higher levels of immunization with two doses before we can rely on vaccines alone to keep COVID at a low manageable level, and this will not happen until closer to the end of the summer at the earliest."
Across Ontario, there were 345 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Public Health Ontario reported 50 cases in Toronto, 50 in Peel Region and 22 in York Region.
OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS
Step One of Ontario's Roadmap to Reopen plan began at 12:01 a.m. June 11.
Ottawa Public Health data:
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (June 10 to June 16): 16.5 (down from 17.4)
- Positivity rate in Ottawa (June 11 to June 17): 2.9 per cent (down from 3.6 per cent June 9-15)
- Reproduction number (seven day average): 0.89
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 June 18:
- Ottawa residents with 1 dose (12+): 673,575 (+10,415 since Wednesday)
- Ottawa residents with 2 doses (12+): 142,312 (+16,278 since Wednesday)
- Total doses received in Ottawa: 748,790 (+31,360 Moderna doses on Thursday)
As of Friday, 64 per cent of the total population of Ottawa has had at least one dose and 13 per cent of Ottawa residents have received two doses (71 per cent of Ottawa adults 18+ have received at least one dose)
*Total doses received does not include doses shipped to pharmacies and primary care clinics, but statistics on Ottawa residents with one or two doses includes anyone with an Ottawa postal code who was vaccinated anywhere in Ontario.
HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA
Ottawa Public Health reported 13 people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses.
There are four people in intensive care.
Hospitalizations (and ICU admissions) by age category:
- 0-9: 1
- 10-19: 1 (1 in ICU)
- 20-29: 1 (1 in ICU)
- 30-39: 2 (1 in ICU)
- 40-49: 2
- 50-59: 1
- 60-69: 0
- 70-79: 3 (1 in ICU)
- 80-89: 2
- 90+: 0
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
There are 245 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, down from 282 active cases on Thursday.
OPH reported that 49 more people recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. The total number of resolved cases of coronavirus in Ottawa is now 26,694.
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/Alpha variant) cases: 6,531 (+3)
- Total B.1.351 (South Africa/Beta variant) cases: 326
- Total P.1 (Brazil/Gamma variant) cases: 30
- Total B.1.617: 3
- Total B.1.617.2 (Delta variant): 5
- Other variant: 1
- Total variants of concern/mutation cases: 7,531 (+4)
- Deaths linked to variants/mutations: 83
*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: One new cases (2,260 total cases)
- 10-19 years-old: One new cases (3,530 total cases)
- 20-29 years-old: Seven new cases (6,182 total cases)
- 30-39 years-old: One case removed from the total (4,201 total cases)
- 40-49 years-old: One new case (3,621 total cases)
- 50-59 years-old: Two new cases (3,309 total cases)
- 60-69-years-old: Two new cases (1,953 total cases)
- 70-79 years-old: Zero new cases (1,090 total cases)
- 80-89 years-old: Zero new cases (857 total cases)
- 90+ years old: Zero new cases (520 total cases)
- Unknown: Zero new cases (3 cases total)
COVID-19 TESTING IN OTTAWA
Ottawa's COVID-19 Testing Taskforce reports 822 swabs were processed at assessment centres in Ottawa on June 16.
A total of 2,791 lab tests were performed in Ottawa on Wednesday.
The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 15 hours.
CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION
- Eastern Ontario Health Unit: Five new case
- Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: Zero new cases
- Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: One new case
- Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: Zero new cases
- Renfrew County and District Health Unit: Zero new cases
- Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 12 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.
Active community outbreaks are:
- Workplace - Distribution: One outbreak
- Workplace - Retail: One outbreak
The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
- St. Laurent Academy Daycare (June 2)
The long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and other spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
- Centre D'Accueil Champlain – facility wide (May 19)
- Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre (May 22)
- Maison Accueil Sagesse - Unit Notre Dame (May 25)
- Maycourt Hospice (June 1)
- Shelter A-18110 (June 13)
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.
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