OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health says another 56 people in the city have tested positive for COVID-19.
According to OPH's COVID-19 dashboard, there have been 15,110 total laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa since the first case was confirmed on March 11, 2020. No new deaths were reported on Sunday, leaving the city's pandemic death toll at 442 residents.
The figures come on a day when the province announced its highest single-day case count in more than three weeks. There were 1,299 newly confirmed cases across Ontario on Sunday, along with 15 new deaths and 1,105 newly resolved cases.Ontario reported 48 new cases in Ottawa on Sunday. Figures from OPH and the province often differ because the two agencies pull data for their daily reports at different times of the day.
No new variants of concern were officially confirmed in Ottawa on Sunday. To date, Ottawa has seen eight confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 variant and two confirmed cases of the B.1.351 variant. However, Dr. Alex MacKenzie, a CHEO clinician and scientist monitoring Ottawa's wastewater told CTV News Ottawa's Colton Praill on Saturday that levels of B.1.1.7 have been detected in wastewater at a level of around 22 per cent.
Wastewater monitoring has been showing a spike in COVID-19 concentration in recent days, which often forecasts a spike in positive cases several days later.
Ottawa's key metrics remain within the "Orange-Restrict" level under Ontario's COVID-19 framework. There has been a decline in the incidence rate of new cases per 100,000 residents this weekend, pulling back from the very edge of the red zone. The number of people in hospital is above 30, but fewer people are in the ICU, and the number of people with active cases of COVID-19 remains at around 500, going just over that number on Sunday.
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): 37.3 (down from 38.9 on Saturday and 39.5 on Friday)
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 2.1 per cent (Feb. 26-March 4)
- Reproduction number: 1.04 (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 March 5:
- Vaccine doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 56,670*
- COVID-19 doses received (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna): 71,180
The city received a shipment of 9,360 Pfizer doses on Wednesday.
*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 known active cases of COVID-19 rose back above 500 on Sunday. There are 502 active cases of COVID-19, down from 487 cases on Saturday.
Forty-one more people have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 14,166 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.
HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA
There are currently 31 people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 complications, including three in the intensive care unit.
Of the people in hospital, one is in their 20s, two are in their 50s (one in the ICU), nine are in their 60s (one is in the ICU), four are in their 70s, eight are in their 80s (one is in the ICU), and seven are 90 or older.
COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY
- 0-9 years old: Four new cases (1,128 total cases)
- 10-19 years-old: Six new cases (1,876 total cases)
- 20-29 years-old: 19 new cases (3,292 total cases)
- 30-39 years-old: Five new cases (2,118 total cases)
- 40-49 years-old: Six new cases (1,943 total cases)
- 50-59 years-old: Five new cases (1,822 total cases)
- 60-69-years-old: Two new cases (1,096 total cases)
- 70-79 years-old: Four new cases (663 total cases)
- 80-89 years-old: Two new cases (708 total cases)
- 90+ years old: One new case (461 total cases)
- Unknown: Zero new cases (3 cases total)
COVID-19 TESTING
The Ontario government says 46,586 COVID-19 tests were performed provincewide on Saturday.
The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce does not offer local testing figures on weekends. In its most recent update on Friday, it said 2,131 swabs were processed at assessment centres in Ottawa on March 4 and 5,826 lab tests were performed in Ottawa.
The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at an Ottawa testing site to the result is 29 hours.
The next local testing update will be released Monday, March 8.
COVID-19 CASES ACROSS THE REGION
- Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 9 new cases
- Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Public Health: 3 new cases
- Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 8 new cases
- Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 6 new cases
- CISSS de l'Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 24 new cases
INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS
Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 26 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.
Outbreaks at a local shelter and the Governor's Walk retirement home have ended. Outbreaks have also ended at Lycée Claudel and Osgoode Township High School.
New outbreaks were declared at the Ottawa Islamic School and a Rodnichok daycare.
There are four active community outbreaks: one is linked to a construction workplace, one is linked to a restaurant, one is linked to a community organization and one is at a multi-unit dwelling.
The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
- École élémentaire catholique La Vérendrye
- École élémentaire catholique Saint-Jean-Paul II
- École secondaire publique Gisele-Lalonde
- Gloucester High School
- Ottawa Islamic School (NEW)
- Rodnichok childcare - 34075 (NEW)
The long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and other spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
- Bearbrook Retirement Residence
- Chartwell Duke of Devonshire
- Extendicare Laurier Manor
- Extendicare New Orchard Lodge
- Forest Hill
- Group Home – 32782
- Madonna Care Community
- Manotick Place Retirement
- Maycourt Hospice
- Perley Rideau Veteran's Health Centre – Gatineau Building
- Rockcliffe Retirement Residence
- Sarsfield Colonial Home
- Shelter - 28778
- Shelter - 29677
- Shelter - 29770
- Shelter - 33435
- Shelter - 33687
- The Ottawa Hospital - Civic Campus - A2
- The Ottawa Hospital - Civic Campus - A4 (Medicine)/A5/B5/Ama
- The Ottawa Hospital - General Campus - Single Unit 7Ncc/Ccu
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.
