OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health is reporting a significant jump in the COVID-19 testing positivity rate in the city.

In their updated report on the COVID-19 dashboard on Monday, Ottawa Public Health noted that the average testing positivity rate rose to 3.9 per cent for the week of March 15 to 21, which is up from 2.9 per cent for the week of March 12 to 18. The last time the positivity rate was above 3 per cent was late January. 

OPH said 81 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the city's pandemic total to 16,188 laboratory-confirmed cases since the first case was announced on March 11, 2020. 

Two more people in Ottawa have died of COVID-19. The city's death toll from the pandemic now stands at 456 residents.

There were 1,699 new cases of COVID-19 reported across Ontario on Monday. The province also reported three new deaths and 1,175 newly resolved cases.

Four more cases of the B.1.1.7 variant first identified in the U.K. have been confirmed in Ottawa. To date, Ottawa has seen 19 confirmed cases of B.1.1.7 and two confirmed cases of the B.1.351 variant. The province also reported 52 additional cases of COVID-19 suspected of being a variant of undetermined lineage. There have been 333 suspected variant cases to date.

In addition to the rise in the positivity rate, OPH also noted a jump in the incidence rate of new cases per 100,000 residents, which is now over 55. The estimated reproduction number remains below "Red-Control" levels, but still above 1, suggesting the virus is spreading.

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

Ottawa is in "Red-Control" status under Ontario's COVID-19 framework.

Ottawa Public Health data:

  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (March 14-20): 55.2 (up from 49.8 on Sunday, 49.7 on Saturday, and 50.0 on Friday)
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 3.9 per cent (March 15-21)
  • Reproduction number: 1.07 (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.

The red-control threshold is a weekly incidence rate of 40 or more cases per 100,000 people and a positivity rate of 2.5 per cent or higher and a reproduction number of 1.2 or more.

The orange-restrict category of Ontario's COVID-19 framework includes a weekly rate of cases per 100,000 between 25 to 39.9, a percent positivity of 1.3 to 2.4 per cent, and a reproduction number of approximately 1 to 1.1. 

VACCINES IN OTTAWA

As of March 22:

  • Vaccine doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 92,293 (up by 4,556 since Friday)*
  • COVID-19 doses received (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna): 97,170

*OPH says staff were able to extract additional doses out of several vials, which were given to residents. In a statement on its dashboard, OPH said, "Vaccine inventory is based on an expected 5 dose per vial supply. Occasionally, an additional dose (6th dose) is successfully extracted and administered to clients."

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

There are 24 people currently in Ottawa-area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses, up from from 19 on Sunday. Four people remain in intensive care, down from five. 

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

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

Ottawa Public Health is reporting an increase in active COVID-19 cases in Ottawa. The number of people with known active cases surpassed 700 on Saturday for the first time since late January.

There are 759 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Monday, up from 736 active cases on Sunday.

Fifty-six more Ottawa residents have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 14,973 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 TESTING

Ontario health officials say 31,089 COVID-19 tests were completed provincewide on Sunday. 

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce says 1,265 swabs were processed at local assessment centres on Sunday and labs performed 1,965 tests.

The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 33 hours.

COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: Two new cases (1,236 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: 19 new cases (2,034 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: 22 new cases (3,540 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: 10 new cases (2,294 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: Eight new cases (2,082 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: 11 new cases (1,941 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: Four new cases (1,165 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: Two new cases (704 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: Two new cases (719 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: One new case (470 total cases)
  • Unknown: Zero new cases (3 cases total)

COVID-19 CASES ACROSS THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 39 new cases
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington: 13 new cases
  • Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: 12 new cases
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 4 new cases
  • Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 37 new cases

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 35 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

One new outbreak was declared at Franco-Cité high school. An outbreak at Julie Payette elementary school has ended.

There are three active community outbreaks: One is linked to a warehouse, one is linked to a construction workplace, and one is linked to a health workplace.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Rodnichok Daycare (March 1)
  2. École élémentaire catholique Riverside South II (March 12)
  3. École secondaire catholique Pierre Savard (March 13)
  4. École élémentaire publique Séraphin-Marion (March 14)
  5. Nature and Nurture Childcare Services (March 14)
  6. Vincent Massey Public School (March 17)
  7. École élémentaire catholique Arc-en-Ciel (March 19) 
  8. École élémentaire catholique Horizon-Jeunesse (March 19) 
  9. École secondaire publique Gisèle-Lalonde (March 19) 
  10. Henry Larsen Elementary School (March 19) 
  11. École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité (March 21) [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. Extendicare Laurier Manor LTCH (Feb. 25)
  4. Madonna Care Community (Feb. 26)
  5. Sarsfield Colonial Home (Feb. 27)
  6. Group Home (March 3)
  7. Perley-Rideau Veterans' Health Centre – Gatineau Building (March 4)
  8. St. Vincent Hospital (March 6)
  9. Extendicare Medex LTCH (March 9)
  10. Peter D. Clark LTCH (March 10)
  11. Group Home (March 11)
  12. Lord Lansdowne RH (March 11)
  13. Amica Westboro Park RH (March 12)
  14. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 12)
  15. Chapel Hill RH (March 13)
  16. The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (March 13)
  17. St. Patrick's Home (March 14)
  18. Osgoode Care Centre (March 15)
  19. St. Vincent Hospital (March 15)
  20. Carlingview Manor (March 16)
  21. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 16)
  22. Elisabeth Bruyere Hospital (March 18)
  23. Portobello Retirement Residence (March 18)
  24. Extendicare West End Villa (March 19)

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.