OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health is reporting 240 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19, the highest single-day case count since the start of the pandemic.

The previous watermark was 234 cases reported on Jan. 9, 2021 in the middle of the post-Christmas spike. This also marks the tenth straight day of daily reports of more than 100 cases. 

Ottawa Public Health is reporting a total of 17,825 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa. 

One more person has died, bringing the city's pandemic death toll to 467 residents.

Across Ontario, 3,009 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Saturday, along with 16 new deaths and 1,819 newly resolved cases. The province didn't provide an official update on Good Friday, but on Saturday said there were 3,089 newly confirmed cases reported on Friday, along with 23 deaths and 1,925 newly resolved cases. Public Health Ontario reported 205 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Saturday. Figures from the province often differ from those provided by Ottawa Public Health in its local update later each day because of different data collection times.

The new figures come on the first day of Ontario's latest provincewide "shutdown", which has forced indoor dining, patio dining, gyms and salons closed for at least 28 days.

The key monitoring rate of new cases per 100,000 residents in the past seven days is now above 100. 

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

Ottawa entered Ontario's COVID-19 "shutdown" at 12:01 a.m. April 3.

Ottawa Public Health data:

  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (March 26-April 1): 104.3
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 6.5 per cent (March 26-April 1)
  • Reproduction number: 1.13 (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 IN OTTAWA

As of April 2:

  • First vaccine doses administered: 124,462
  • Second vaccine doses administered: 26,824
  • Total doses received: 176,410

OPH says the city received a shipment of 36,270 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on March 29.

VARIANTS OF CONCERN

Ottawa Public Health data*:

  • Total B.1.1.7 (UK variant) cases: 23
  • Total B.1.351 (South Africa variant) cases: 6
  • Total P.1 (Brazil variant) cases: 0
  • Total variants of concern/mutation cases: 596
  • Deaths linked to variants/mutations: 4

*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.

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

There are 44 people in Ottawa-area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses on Saturday, up from 43 on Friday.

Fourteen people people are in the intensive care unit.

Of the people in hospital, one person is in their 20s, two are in their 30s, one is in their 40s, 11 are in their 50s (five are in the ICU), 10 are in their 60s (four are in the ICU), eight are in their 70s (four are in the ICU), nine are in their 80s (one is in the ICU) and two are 90 or older.

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

Ottawa Public Health is reporting 1,516 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, up from 1,358 active cases on Friday.

Eighty-one more Ottawa residents have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 15,842 resolved cases of COVID-19 in the capital.

The number of active cases is the number of total 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 IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: 25 new cases (1,374 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: 32 new cases (2,297 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: 61 new cases (3,920 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: 34 new cases (2,568 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: 37 new cases (2,302 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: 23 new cases (2,132 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: 16 new cases (1,268 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: 8 new cases (742 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: 3 new cases (740 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: 1 new case (479 total cases)
  • Unknown: 0 new cases (3 cases total)

COVID-19 TESTING IN OTTAWA

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce's next update will be released Monday, April 5.

In its most recent update, the taskforce reported 2,664 swabs were processed at assessment centres in Ottawa on March 31.

A total of 6,782 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 35 hours.

Across Ontario, 59,117 COVID-19 tests were completed on Friday.

COVID-19 CASES AROUND THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 44 new cases
  • Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 11 new cases
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 9 new cases
  • Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 12 new cases
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 2 new cases
  • Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 131 new cases

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 37 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

There are three new outbreaks in schools, two new outbreaks in retirement homes and two new outbreaks in hospitals in Ottawa.

Outbreaks have ended at three schools: Franco-Cité, Louis Riel, and Longfields Davidson Heights. An outbreak is also over at a local group home.

There are five active community outbreaks, down from eight on Friday. Two outbreaks are linked to services workplaces, one is linked to a private social event, one is linked to a restaurant, and one is linked to a recreational workplace.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. École élémentaire publique Séraphin-Marion (March 14)
  2. St. Luke's Childcare Centre (March 15)
  3. Centrepointe Home Daycare (March 26)
  4. St. Peter High School (March 26)
  5. St. Gabriel Elementary School (March 29)
  6. St. Leonard Elementary School (March 30)
  7. St. Isidore Elementary School (March 31) 
  8. Connaught Public School (April 2) [NEW]
  9. Fallingbrook Community Elementary School (April 2) [NEW]
  10. Our Lady of Fatima Elementary School (April 2) [NEW]

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

  1. Shelter (Jan. 26)
  2. The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (Feb. 19)
  3. St. Vincent Hospital (March 6)
  4. Extendicare Medex (March 9)
  5. Peter D. Clark LTCH (March 10)
  6. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 12)
  7. Chapel Hill RH (March 13)
  8. St. Patrick's Home (March 14)
  9. St. Vincent Hospital (March 15)
  10. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 16)
  11. Elisabeth Bruyere Hospital (March 18)
  12. Portobello Retirement Residence (March 18)
  13. Shelter (March 21)
  14. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 21)
  15. Supported Independent Living (March 23)
  16. Timberwalk Retirement Home (March 24)
  17. Longfields Manor (March 24)
  18. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 26)
  19. St. Vincent Hospital - 5N (March 26) [NEW]
  20. Jardin Royal Garden (March 27)
  21. Sisters of Charity (March 28)
  22. Landmark Court Retirement Home (March 29)
  23. Hillel Lodge (March 30)
  24. Group Home A-11533) (March 31)
  25. Manotick Place Retirement (March 31) [NEW]
  26. Wildpine Retirement Living (April 1) [NEW]
  27. Queensway Carleton Hospital (April 2) [NEW]

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, 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.

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).

Two staff or patient cases of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 within a specified hospital unit within a 14-day period where both cases could have reasonably acquired their infection in hospital is considered an outbreak in a public hospital.