OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health is reporting 31 more people in the city have tested positive for COVID-19 and one more person has died.

This brings Ottawa's totals to 14,038 laboratory-confirmed cases and 434 deaths since the pandemic began, according to OPH's COVID-19 dashboard.

The update comes on the third straight day that the province of Ontario is reporting fewer than 1,000 cases.

There was no official update from the province on Monday, due to the Family Day holiday, but on Tuesday, the province released both Monday and Tuesday figures, adding 964 cases on Monday and 904 cases on Tuesday, though officials note that cases may fluctuate due to data migration at Toronto Public Health. The province reported 30 cases in Ottawa on Tuesday. Figures from Ontario often differ from OPH's because of different data collection times.

Ottawa public health added 59 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. 

Provincial officials are reporting seven total cases of the B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant in Ottawa and one case of the B.1.351 variant. No new variant cases were reported Tuesday.

Some trends are showing slight increases, with the number of new cases per 100,000 in the last seven days climbing back toward 30 and the estimated reproduction number just above 1. The number of active cases dropped slightly on Tuesday, breaking a five-day streak of incremental increases. The COVID-19 wastewater monitoring project is showing a rising trend in the past few days.

OTTAWA'S COVID-19 KEY STATISTICS

Ottawa is in "Orange-Restrict" status under Ontario's COVID-19 framework.

Ottawa Public Health data:

  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 29.3 (up from 28.5 cases on Monday and 26.0 cases on Sunday)
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.6 per cent (Feb. 8-14)
  • 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 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 Feb. 15

  • Vaccine doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 40,013*
  • Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine doses received: 35,100
  • Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses received: 4,000

*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." 

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

The number of people in Ottawa with known active cases of COVID-19 dropped slightly on Tuesday to 435 from 438 on Monday.

The active case count reached a 2021 low of 402 on Feb. 10 and began slowly rising over the next five days.

OPH reported 33 newly resolved cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the city's total to 13,169 resolved cases.

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.

 

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

There are 18 people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 complications and three are in intensive care.

Of the people in hospital, one is under the age of 10, three are in their 40s, two are in their 50s, five are in their 60s, five are in their 70s (two are in the ICU), and three are in their 80s (one is in the ICU).

COVID-19 TESTING

Ontario health officials say 27,005 COVID-19 tests were performed provincewide on Monday and 15,024 tests remain under investigation. 

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce says 1,662 swabs were taken at local assessment centres on Monday and labs performed 2,815 COVID-19 tests.

The average positivity rate for the week of Feb. 8 to 14 was 1.6 per cent. 

The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 18 hours.

COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: Four new cases (1,037 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: Two new case (1,728 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: Eight new cases (2,997 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: Two new cases (1,967 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: Five new cases (1,830 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: Two new cases (1,690 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: Three new cases (1,027 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: One new case (628 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: Three new cases (689 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: Two new cases (442 total cases)
  • Unknown: One case reassigned (3 cases total)

CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: Three new cases
  • Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: Zero new cases
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: One new case
  • Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: One new case
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: Zero new cases
  • CISSS de l'Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): Nine new cases

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 25 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

One new outbreak was declared at Peter D. Clark long-term care home. 

There are seven active community outbreaks, two are linked to retail workplaces, two are linked to health workplaces, one is linked to a corporate/office setting, one is linked to a distribution centre, and one is linked to a warehouse.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Bishop Hamilton Montessori School
  2. Centre educatif La Clementine (École Marie-Curie)
  3. Charles H. Hulse Public School
  4. CityView – Home Child Care – 32814
  5. CityView – Home Child Care – 32912
  6. Mothercraft Ottawa home child care - 32715
  7. Playtime Daycare Centre – Licensed Childcare

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

  1. Carlingwood Retirement
  2. Extendicare Starwood
  3. Garry J. Armstrong long-term care home
  4. Group Home – 32432
  5. Group Home – 32782
  6. Maison Acceuil Sagesse
  7. Manoir Marochel
  8. Montfort Long-term Care Centre
  9. Peter D. Clark (NEW)
  10. Residence St. Louis
  11. Shelter - 28778
  12. Shelter - 29677
  13. Shelter - 29770
  14. Shelter - 29860
  15. Shelter - 32620
  16. Supported Independent Living – 32891
  17. The Edinburgh Retirement Residence
  18. Villa Marconi

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).