OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health says 41 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19.

There were some improvements in the weekly COVID-19 trends that govern what level of restrictions are imposed on the city, but medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches is warning that Ottawa--currently in "orange-restrict"--is closer to the red zone than the yellow zone.

"We are not heading towards yellow, we are heading towards red and that's not okay because it does potentially take us into a place with less opportunity," Dr. Etches said at city council on Wednesday.

According to Ottawa Public Health's COVID-19 dashboard, there have been 14,470 total laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa since the pandemic began. No new deaths were reported on Wednesday, leaving the city's pandemic death toll at 437 residents.

1,054 new cases of COVID-19 reported across Ontario on Wednesday. The province also reported nine new deaths and 1,291 newly resolved cases provincewide.

No new cases of any COVID-19 variants of concern (VOCs) were confirmed in Ottawa on Wednesday. To date, eight cases of the B.1.1.7 variant and one case of the B.1.351 variant have been confirmed in Ottawa.

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): 34.5 (down from 36.6 on Tuesday and 37.3 on Monday)
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 2.1 per cent (Feb. 18-23)
  • Reproduction number: 1.00 (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. 24

  • Vaccine doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 48,278*
  • COVID-19 doses received (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna): 57,820

A new shipment of 9,360 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in Ottawa on Feb. 22.

*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 with active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa fell slightly on Wednesday to 446 from 451 on Tuesday.

OPH says 46 more people's cases are now considered resolved. There are 13,587 total resolved cases in Ottawa.

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 consdered resolved 14 after known symptom onset or positive test result.

 

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

There are currently 21 people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 complications, with eight people people are in intensive care.

Of the people in hospital, three are in their 40s (one is in the ICU), one is in their 50s, four are in their 60s (one is in the ICU), four are in their 70s (two are in the ICU), eight are in their 80s (four are in the ICU), and one is 90 or older.

COVID-19 TESTING

Ontario health officials say 54.852 COVID-19 tests were completed across Ontario on Tuesday and 41,251 tests remain under investigation.

On Tuesday, the Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce said 2,208 swabs were processed at assessment centres in Ottawa on Feb. 22 and 3,558 lab tests were performed.

The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at the testing site to the result is 19 hours.

The next update from the Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce is due this afternoon.

COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: Three new cases (1,072 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: Eight new cases (1,794 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: Six new cases (3,118 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: Eight new cases (2,024 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: Three new cases (1,871 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: Nine new cases (1,751 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: Three new case (1,050 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: Zero new cases (636 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: Zero new cases (697 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: One new case (454 total cases)
  • Unknown: Zero new cases (3 cases total)

COVID-19 ACROSS THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: Six new cases
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health: One new case
  • Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: Two new cases
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: Zero new cases
  • CISSS de l'Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 16 new cases

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 30 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

New outbreaks were declared at Des Sentiers elementary school and Osgoode Township High School on Wednesday. An outbreak at a La Clementine daycare has ended.

There are four active community outbreaks: one is linked to a health workplace, one is linked to a corporate/office setting, one is linked to a construction workplace, and one is linked to a community organization.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Centrepointe Home Daycare
  2. CityView – Home Child Care – 32814
  3. CityView – Home Child Care – 32912
  4. École élémentaire publique Des Sentiers (NEW)
  5. École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité
  6. Mothercraft Ottawa – Home Child Care – 33056
  7. Osgoode Township High School (NEW)
  8. St. Patrick's High School

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

  1. Carlingwood Retirement
  2. Centre D'Acceuil Champlain
  3. Extendicare Starwood
  4. Extendicare West End Villa
  5. Garry J. Armstrong long-term care home
  6. Governor's Walk Retirement
  7. Group Home – 32432
  8. Group Home – 32782
  9. Maison Acceuil Sagesse
  10. Manoir Marochel
  11. Montfort Long-term Care Centre
  12. Peter D. Clark
  13. Rockcliffe Retirement Residence
  14. Shelter - 28778
  15. Shelter - 29677
  16. Shelter - 29770
  17. Shelter - 29860
  18. Shelter - 33435 
  19. Supported Independent Living – 32891
  20. The Ottawa Hospital - Civic Campus - A4 (Medicine)/A5/B5/Ama
  21. The Ottawa Hospital - General Campus - Single Unit 7Ncc/Ccu
  22. 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).

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.