OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health is reporting 48 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19, a noticeably smaller number than reported by provincial officials.
Across Ontario, 1,859 new cases of COVID-19 were reported, including 72 in Ottawa, according to Ontario's daily epidemiologic summary.
20 more people across Ontario with COVID-19 have died.
The number of new people testing positive for COVID-19 in Ontario marks a new one-day record high.
However, the update from Ottawa Public Health's COVID-19 dashboard listed 48 new cases of COVID-19.
The figures shared by the province and by OPH sometimes differ by one or two and not nearly by this much. There was once incident in early November where the province reported significantly more cases than OPH did, but OPH said it was the result of "a catch-up in the province's reporting of older cases."
In this latest report, the province's total number of cases for Ottawa is 8,714, but Ottawa Public Health's latest update shows 8,701.
In November, OPH said, "Occasional discrepancies will happen because several steps are involved in classification and reporting of individuals who are tested and then diagnosed with COVID. OPH counts (and reports out) individuals for whom we have a positive lab result, whereas the ministry reports cases only once OPH officially confirms them in our database, from which the ministry receives a daily data extract."
The province says that time lag is an issue with case reporting, but usually rectifies itself after a day.
"Another potential reason for reporting differences is the time lag for data entry into the Public Health Case and Contact Management Solution," an explanation on the province's website says. "Some Public Health Units update their own website information immediately, while the Ministry of Health receives the data once a day in the evening. This time lag is usually no more than one day, but means that Public Health Unit data is often the most up-to-date."
In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for OPH said, "To provide a specific explanation for today’s discrepancy, we would have to get further clarification from OPH staff on Monday."
In its latest dashboard update, OPH added zero new deaths, leaving the death toll from COVID-19 in the city at 379 residents.
ONTARIO FRAMEWORK STATUS
Ottawa is in the "Orange-Restrict" level under the provincial reopening framework.
The "Orange-Restrict" level is for areas with a weekly rate of new cases per 100,000 people of between 25 and 39.9, a positivity rate between 1.3 per cent and 2.4 per cent and a reproduction number of 1 to 1.1.
Here is where Ottawa stands on those metrics currently:
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 29.8
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.5 per cent (Nov. 24 to 30)
- Reproduction Number: 0.99 (seven day average)
The "Yellow-Protect" level requires a weekly rate of new cases per 100,000 people of between 10 and 24.9, a positivity rate between 0.5 per cent and 1.2 per cent and a reproduction number of "approximately 1", according to the province.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
The number of people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 fell slightly on Saturday to 29 from 30 on Friday.
One person remains in the intensive care unit.
Of the people in hospital, one is in their 20s, three are in their 40s, one is in their 50s, four are in their 60s, six are in their 70s, 11 are in their 80s (one in the ICU), and three are 90 or older.
ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA
Ottawa Public Health is reporting a single new active case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Saturday.
The number of people with active infections rose to 384 on Saturday from 383 on Friday.
OPH reported 47 additional recoveries, bringing the number of resolved cases to 7,938.
The number of active cases of COVID-19 is the number of total laboratory-confirmed cases minus the numbers of resolved cases and deaths. A case is considered resolved 14 days after known symptom onset or positive test result.
CASES OF COVID-19 BY AGE CATEGORY
Here is a breakdown of all known COVID-19 cases in Ottawa by age category:
- 0-9 years old: Four new cases (593 cases total)
- 10-19 years-old: Five new cases (1,006 cases total)
- 20-29 years-old: 13 new cases (1,788 cases total)
- 30-39 years-old: Five new cases (1,176 cases total)
- 40-49 years-old: Seven new cases (1,099 cases total)
- 50-59 years-old: Seven new cases (1,015 cases total)
- 60-69-years-old: Two new cases (675 cases total)
- 70-79 years-old: Three new cases (446 cases total)
- 80-89 years-old: One new case (533 cases total)
- 90+ years old: One new case (370 cases total)
TESTING
Ontario health officials say 59,399 COVID-19 tests were performed provincewide on Friday, a new one-day record for testing. There are 63,193 people waiting for COVID-19 test results in Ontario.
The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce does not provide updates on weekends. In its most recent report, the taskforce said 1,838 swabs were taken at assessment centres in Ottawa on Dec. 2 and a total 5,569 lab tests were performed.
Ottawa's positivity rate for the week of Nov. 24 to 30 was 1.5 per cent.
The next update from the Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce will be on Monday, Dec. 7.
CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION
According to provincial figures, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit saw a spike in people testing positive, with 41 new cases reported on Saturday.
That follows a briefing from the health unit's medical officer of health who said, locally, a record 43 infections were reported on Friday.
The provincial figures reflect data taken on the day before they are reported, and can sometimes differ from local figures due to the nature of how data are recorded at the provincial level.
Provincial figures also show a jump in the number of new positive test results in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health, with 13 more people testing positive.
Seven more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health region.
Six new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit's region.
One new case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the Renfrew County and District Health Unit region.
The Quebec government reported 47 new cases in the Outaouais region, which includes Gatineau.
INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS
Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 31 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.
Two new outbreaks were declared at two separate group homes in the city. Each involves a single staff member testing positive.
Outbreaks at Gabrielle Roy French public school and Roland Michener Public School have ended. Outbreaks have also ended at Bearbrook Retirement Residence and at an Ottawa shelter.
There are four active community outbreaks: one linked to an unspecified social event and three at unidentified workplaces in the city.
The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
- Aspire Academy
- Ecole secondaire catholique Mer Bleue
- Ecole secondaire publique Omer-Deslauriers
- Glen Ogilvie Public School
- Manordale Public School
- Ottawa Technical Secondary School
- St. Catherine School
The long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and other spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
- Alta Vista Manor
- Amica Westboro Park
- Association Intégration Sociale d'Ottawa – 21034
- Bridlewood Trails Retirement Home
- Carleton Lodge long-term care home
- Centre DÀccueil Champlain
- Courtyards on Eagleson
- Couvent Mont-Saint-Joseph retirement home
- Extendicare Medex
- Extendicare New Orchard Lodge
- Extendicare Starwood
- Forest Hill long-term care home
- Garden Terrace long-term care home
- Group Home - 22525 (NEW)
- Group Home - 22562 (NEW)
- Montfort Hospital - 3C
- Park Place
- Peter D. Clark long-term care home
- St. Patrick's Home
- The Glebe Centre
- The Ravines retirement home
- The Ottawa Hospital General Campus - 5E
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).
