OTTAWA -- One day after seeing its lowest daily case count in six weeks, Ottawa is seeing an uptick in the daily number of new COVID-19 cases in the city.

However, trends including the number of active cases and the weekly average of cases per capita continue to improve. The testing positivity rate has also dropped below three per cent.

Ottawa Public Health said 72 more people in the city have tested positive for COVID-19.

No new deaths were reported in Ottawa on Wednesday, leaving the city's pandemic death toll at 420 residents.

1,670 new cases were reported across Ontario on Wednesday, the province's lowest daily case count in two months. The province also reported 49 new deaths and 2,725 new resolved cases provincewide.

On Tuesday, Ottawa Public Health reported 23 new cases of COVID-19, the lowest single-day case count since Dec. 15.

Figures from OPH and the province often differ due to different data collection times. The province reported 82 new cases in Ottawa. Ontario's pandemic total for the city is 13,093 cases, versus OPH's 13,072. 

OTTAWA'S COVID-19 KEY STATISTICS

Ottawa Public Health moved Ottawa into its red zone in early January.

A provincial stay-at-home order has been in effect since Jan. 14, 2021.

Ottawa Public Health data:

  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 53.9 cases
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 2.6 per cent (Jan. 20 - Jan. 26)
  • Reproduction number: 0.78 (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

As of Jan. 27

  • Doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 24,436
  • Doses delivered to Ottawa: 25,350

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

The number of people in Ottawa with known active cases of COVID-19 continues to decrease. OPH reported 713 active cases on Wednesday, down from 754 on Tuesday.

The dropping active case count is due to rising resolved cases. OPH reported 113 new resolved cases on Wednesday, bringing the city's total number of resolved cases to 11,939.

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.

 

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

Ottawa Public Health says there are 36 people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 complications, up from 33 on Tuesday. Six people are in intensive care.

Of the people in hospital, one is in their 30s, two are in their 40s, six are in their 50s, eight are in their 60s (five are in the ICU), two are in their 70s, nine are in their 80s (one is in the ICU), and eight are 90 or older.

COVID-19 TESTING

Ontario health officials say 55,191 COVID-19 tests were completed provincewide on Tuesday and 46,900 tests remain under investigation.

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce said 1,398 swabs were taken at assessment centres in Ottawa on Tuesday and labs performed 5,751 COVID-19 tests. 

The testing positivity rate has dropped below three per cent and is now 2.6 per cent for the week of Jan. 20 to 26. The positivity rate was 4.4 per cent for the week of Dec. 30, 2020 to Jan. 5, 2021, for comparison. 

Average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 30 hours.

COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: 13 new cases (953 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: Six new cases (1,636 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: 10 new cases (2,782 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: 14 new cases (1,815 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: Six new cases (1,694 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: 10 new cases (1,552 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: Six new cases (955 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: Five new cases (589 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: One new case (656 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: One new case (437 total cases)

The ages of three people with COVID-19 are unknown.

COVID-19 CASES AROUND THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 28 new cases
  • Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: Zero new cases
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health: Two new cases
  • Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: Three new cases
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: Zero new cases
  • Outaouais region: 13 new cases

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.

An outbreak at the Peter D. Clark long-term care home has ended. One new outbreak was declared at a home daycare in Gloucester.

There are six active community outbreaks, all linked to workplaces, including an office, a construction site, a warehouse, a manufacturing or industrial facility, a health workplace and a services workplace.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Children's Village of Ottawa-Carleton - Home daycare
  2. Global Child Care Services - Gloucester home daycare
  3. Greenboro Children's Centre
  4. Little Acorn Early Learning Centre
  5. Montessori by Brightpath
  6. Ruddy Family Y Child Care
  7. Wee Watch Nepean – Home Child Care - 29084

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

  1. Besserer Place
  2. Centre D'Accueil Champlain
  3. Colonel By Retirement Home
  4. Elisabeth Bruyere Residence
  5. Extendicare Laurier Manor
  6. Extendicare Medex
  7. Extendicare New Orchard Lodge
  8. Extendicare West End Villa
  9. Forest Hill
  10. Garden Terrace
  11. Garry J. Armstrong long-term care home
  12. Grace Manor Long-term Care Home
  13. Group Home - 28608
  14. Group Home - 29049
  15. Group Home - 29052
  16. Madonna Care Community
  17. Montfort Long-term Care Centre
  18. Oakpark Retirement Community
  19. Park Place
  20. Perley and Rideau Veterans' Health Centre
  21. Richmond Care Home
  22. Rockcliffe Retirement Residence
  23. Shelter - 28778
  24. Shelter - 29413
  25. Sisters of Charity - Couvent Mont St. Joseph
  26. St. Patrick's Home
  27. Stirling Park Retirement Community
  28. Supported Independent Living - 29100
  29. The Ravines Independent Living
  30. Valley Stream Retirement Residence
  31. Villa Marconi
  32. Villagia in the Glebe

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).