OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health says there are currently no patients in Ottawa ICUs with COVID-19 complications.
The latest update from OPH on Saturday shows 20 hospitalized patients in the city, but zero in any intensive care unit.
OPH reported 46 more people in the city have tested positive for COVID-19, but the number of people with active cases went down slightly.
Ontario health officials confirmed 2,357 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday along with 27 new deaths. 1,865 recoveries have also been reported. Public Health Ontario reported 40 new cases in Ottawa.
Daily updates from Ottawa Public Health have differed from Public Health Ontario's figures.
OPH told CTV News by email late last week that a realignment of databases was underway, which was leading to data discrepancies between local and provincial health authorities.
"Given several factors, it is often the case that reported numbers from public health units do not match provincial data during a specific snapshot in time. This is mainly due to time lag."
According to OPH's COVID-19 dashboard, there have been 9,314 total laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the capital since the pandemic began.
No new deaths were reported on Saturday, leaving the city's COVID-19 death toll at 389 residents.
OTTAWA COVID-19 STATUS: ORANGE-RESTRICT
Ottawa remains in the "Orange-Restrict" level under the provincial reopening framework. Ottawa moved into the restriction level on Nov. 7.
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): 30.9
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.4 per cent (Dec. 11 to 17)
- Reproduction Number: 0.98 (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 IN OTTAWA
The number of people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 complications fell to 20 in Saturday's report, from 22 on Friday.
There are currently zero people in the ICU, for the first time since mid-September.
Of the people in hospital, one is under 10 years old, one is in their 20s, one is in their 30s, one is in their 40s, one is in their 50s, one is in their 60s, six are in their 70s, seven are in their 80s, and one is 90 or older.
ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA
The number of people with active infections of COVID-19 fell slightly in Saturday's report.
OPH says there are 391 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, down from 397 on Friday.
Fifty-two more recoveries were reported on Saturday, bringing the city's number of resolved cases to 8,534.
The number of active cases is the number of total lab-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.
COVID-19 CASES BY AGE CATEGORY
Here is a breakdown of all known COVID-19 cases in Ottawa by age category:
- 0-9 years old: Three new cases (650 cases total)
- 10-19 years-old: 13 new cases (1,102 cases total)
- 20-29 years-old: 10 new cases (1,939 cases total)
- 30-39 years-old: Nine new cases (1,277 cases total)
- 40-49 years-old: Three new cases (1,169 cases total)
- 50-59 years-old: Seven new cases (1,084 cases total)
- 60-69-years-old: One new case (717 cases total)
- 70-79 years-old: One new case (457 cases total)
- 80-89 years-old: Zero new cases (543 cases total)
- 90+ years old: Zero new cases (376 cases total)
The age of one person with COVID-19 that was previously unknown has been assigned to this list.
TESTING
Ontario health officials say 67,207 COVID-19 tests were performed across the province on Friday. There are 78,147 tests that remain under investigation.
The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce does not provide local testing updates on weekends. In their most recent update on Friday, the taskforce said 1,753 swabs were taken on Dec. 17 and local labs performed 6,800 tests.
The next update from the Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce will be on Monday, Dec. 21.
COVID-19 CASES AROUND THE REGION
Public Health Ontario is reporting the following new COVID-19 cases in public health units around eastern Ontario.
- Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 6 new cases
- Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 2 new cases
- Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 13 new cases
- Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 7 new cases
- Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 0 new cases.
On Friday, the province announced that the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health region would move to the "Orange-Restrict" level of COVID-19 restrictions starting at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Dec. 21.
The Quebec government reported on Saturday 21 new cases of COVID-19 in the Outaouais region, which includes Gatineau.
INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS
Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 19 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.
Outbreaks at the St. Louis Residence long-term care home, an unidentified group home, École élémentaire catholique Roger-Saint-Denis, and St. Catherine School have ended.
One new outbreak was declared at Louis Riel High School.
There are three active community outbreaks, all linked to unidentified workplaces. One workplace outbreak has ended but another one has been declared.
The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
- Featherston Drive Public School
- Louis Riel High School (NEW)
- Pleasant Park Public School
The long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and other spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
- Association Intégration Sociale d'Ottawa – 21034
- Bridlewood Trails Retirement Home
- Cité Parkway
- Courtyards on Eagleson
- Extendicare New Orchard Lodge
- Extendicare Medex
- Extendicare Starwood
- Forest Hill long-term care home
- Glebe Centre long-term care home
- Maison Accueil-Sagesse
- Manotick Place Retirement Home
- Maycourt Hospice
- Montfort Hospital - 3C
- Rudy Shenkman Hospice
- The Ottawa Hospital General Campus - 5E
- Village at the Glebe Retirement Residence
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).
