OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health says 141 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19 and two more people have died.

It comes one day after Ottawa Public Health reported its lowest case count in six weeks, with 94 new cases on Tuesday. OPH also reported five deaths on Tuesday.

The city has seen a total of 24,892 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March 11, 2020 and 517 residents of Ottawa have died from COVID-19.

Across Ontario, public health officials reported 2,941 new cases of COVID-19, marking the second straight day of fewer than 3,000 province-wide cases; however, the province also reported 44 new deaths on Wednesday, a 76 per cent increase compared to the day before.

4,361 more cases in the province are now considered resolved. 

Public Health Ontario reported 140 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa. Figures from Ottawa Public Health and Public Health Ontario often differ due to different data collection times for the respective health agencies' daily reports.

Weekly monitoring trends continued to show signs of decline on Wednesday, with the weekly per capita incidence rate falling below 105 and the testing positivity rate dropping below 7 per cent. 

The number of residents in hospital with COVID-19 has also dropped below 100. The number of ICU patients remained stable.

Ottawa Public Health also recorded its first three cases of the B.1.617 variant, which was first identified in India. 

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

Ottawa entered Ontario's COVID-19 stay-at-home order at 12:01 a.m. April 8.

Ottawa Public Health data:

  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (April 27-May 3): 102.9 (down from 109.7)
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 6.7 per cent (April 28 – May 4) (down from 7.0 per cent)
  • Reproduction number (seven day average): 0.96 (down from 0.97)

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

Ottawa Public Health updates vaccine numbers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

As of May 5:

  • Ottawa residents with 1 dose: 353,515 (+13,394)
  • Ottawa residents with 2 doses: 27,710 (+245)
  • Total doses received in Ottawa*: 362,780 

As of Wednesday, 41 per cent of Ottawa residents 18 and older had received at least one dose of the vaccine.

*Total doses received does not include AstraZeneca doses shipped to pharmacies and primary care clinics.

RELATED: How do I get the coronavirus vaccine in Ottawa?

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 related illnesses is now below 100 for the first time since April 15.

OPH reported 95 people in hospital with COVID-19 complications, down from 101 on Tuesday.

There are 27 people in intensive care, down from 28.

Hospitalizations (and ICU admissions) by age category:

  • 0-9: 0
  • 10-19: 0
  • 20-29: 2 (1 in ICU)
  • 30-39: 6 (1 in ICU)
  • 40-49: 9 (3 in ICU)
  • 50-59: 21 (10 in ICU)
  • 60-69: 24 (7 in ICU)
  • 70-79: 23 (4 in ICU)
  • 80-89: 7 (1 in ICU)
  • 90+: 3

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

The number of people with known active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa continues to decline.

OPH reported 1,722 active cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, down from 1,777 active cases on Tuesday.

194 more people have had their cases resolve, bringing the number of total resolved cases in Ottawa to 22,653.

During this latest wave, the local active case count peaked at 3,412 on April 19.

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.

 

COVID-19 TESTING

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce says 1,434 swabs were taken at local assessment centres on Tuesday and labs performed 4,578 tests.

The average turnaround from the time a swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 20 hours.

Public Health Ontario reported 45,767 COVID-19 tests were completed province-wide on Tuesday.

VARIANTS OF CONCERN

Ottawa Public Health data*:

  • Total B.1.1.7 (UK variant) cases: 3,971 (+3,946)**
  • Total B.1.351 (South Africa variant) cases: 21 
  • Total P.1 (Brazil variant) cases: 0
  • Total B.1.617 (India variant): 3 (+3)
  • Total variants of concern/mutation cases: 5,143 (+58)
  • Deaths linked to variants/mutations: 33 (+1)

*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. 

**The sharp increase in B.1.1.7 cases reported Wednesday is due to a data correction. OPH says this count now includes all cases that are confirmed to be the B.1.1.7 variant through genomic analysis and all cases that are presumed to be the B.1.1.7 variant based on the presence of mutations.

COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: 12 new cases (1,990 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: 23 new cases (3,132 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: 22 new cases (5,614 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: 27 new cases (3,772 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: 25 new cases (3,257 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: 13 new cases (3,006 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: 8 new cases (1,795 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: 8 new cases (1,009 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: 3 new cases (811 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: 0 new cases (503 total cases)
  • Unknown: 0 new cases (3 cases total)

CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION:

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 12 new cases
  • Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 15 new cases
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 25 new cases
  • Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 12 new cases
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 5 new cases
  • Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 59 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.

There are six active community outbreaks:

  • Social event – Private: One outbreak
  • Workplace – Manufacturing: One outbreak
  • Workplace – Restaurant: One outbreak
  • Workplace – Retail: One outbreak
  • Workplace – Warehouse: Two outbreaks

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Marchwood Early Learning Centre (April 18) 
  2. Ecole secondaire catholique Garneau (April 21) 
  3. The Little School Day Care Centre (April 21)
  4. Centre Prescolaire et Parascolaire l'Etoile Filante (April 22)
  5. Global Childcare Services Home Daycare (April 24) 
  6. Aspire Academy (April 25)
  7. Wee Watch Findlay Creek (April 25) 
  8. Parents Home Childcare of Ottawa (April 26)
  9. Centre Educatif Les Debrouillards (April 29) 
  10. Service de Garde Les Petit Pinceaux childcare (April 29) 
  11. St. Luke's Childcare Centre (May 1) NEW

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

  1. Supported Independent Living home (April 9)
  2. Extendicare Medex Long-term Care Home (April 11)
  3. Shelter A-13220 (April 13) 
  4. Westwood Retirement Residence (April 16)
  5. Montfort Hospital - Unit 6C only - (April 21) 
  6. Rooming House A-14693 (April 23) 
  7. Group Home A-14465 (April 24)
  8. Group Home A-14468 (April 24) 
  9. Group Home A-14470 (April 24) 
  10. Group Home A-14492 (April 24) 
  11. Shelter A-14541 (April 25) 
  12. Shelter A-14574 (April 25) 
  13. Montfort Hospital - 4CR - (April 26)
  14. The Ottawa Hospital Rehab Centre - Special Rehab - Ward B - (April 26) 
  15. Montfort Hospital - 3C - (April 27)
  16. Montfort Hospital - single unit: 4A - (April 27)
  17. Group Home A-15395 (April 30) 
  18. The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus - single unit: F7 - (April 30)
  19. Shelter A-15657 (May 3) NEW
  20. Group Home A-15690 (May 4) NEW
  21. Group Home A-15742 (May 4) NEW

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.

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 or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in patients and/or staff in a hospital setting with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the hospital is considered an outbreak in a public hospital.