OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health is reporting 94 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Saturday, the highest one-day increase in new cases in seven weeks.

The 94 new cases of COVID-19 pushed Ottawa's COVID-19 incidence rate to 40.1 cases per 100,000 people. The threshold to move into the "red-control" level in Ontario's COVID-19 reopening framework is 40 cases per 100,000 a week.

Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches told CTV Morning Live earlier this month that the Ontario government looks at the COVID-19 indicators on a Tuesday, with a decision on whether a region moves into a different zone in Ontario's COVID-19 reopening framework announced on Friday.

One new death linked to the virus was also reported on Saturday.

Fifty-nine of the 94 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa involve residents under the age of 30.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, 2020, there have been 15,494 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 447 deaths.

The 94 new cases of COVID-19 is the highest one-day increase in cases in Ottawa since Jan. 23, when 92 new cases were reported.

There were 62 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday and 79 new cases on Thursday.

Across Ontario, there are 1,469 new cases of novel coronavirus.  Health officials reported 381 new cases in Toronto, 226 in Peel Region and 168 in York Region.

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 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): 40.1 (up from 36.7 on Friday)
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 2.2 per cent (March 5-11)
  • Reproduction number: 1.09 (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 12:

  • Vaccine doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 73,009 (up from 3,822 since Wednesday)*
  • COVID-19 doses received (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna): 80,540

The city received a shipment of 9,360 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday, March 8. 

*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 34 people in Ottawa-area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses, up from 31 on Friday.

Three people are in the intensive care unit.

Ottawa Public Health is currently migrating its dashboard over to the provincial system, so data on the ages of the people currently in the hospital is unavailable.

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

The number of active cases of COVID-19 increased by 25 cases on Saturday. There are 595 active cases of coronavirus in the capital, up from 570 on Friday and 540 on Thursday.

Sixty-eight more people have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 14,452 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 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: 20 new cases (1,171 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: 16 new cases (1,924 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: 23 new cases (3,378 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: Six new cases (2,187 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: 14 new cases (1,992 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: Eight new cases (1,865 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: Five new cases (1,122 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: Two new cases (680 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: Zero new cases (705 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: One new case (467 total cases)
  • Unknown: Zero new case (3 cases total)

COVID-19 TESTING IN OTTAWA

Ottawa's COVID-19 Testing Taskforce reports 1,972 swabs were processed at assessment centres in Ottawa on March 11.

A total of 5,772 lab tests were performed in Ottawa on Thursday.

The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is currently 30 hours.

COVID-19 CASES ACROSS THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 12 cases
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Health Unit: Three cases
  • Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health: 15 cases
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: Four cases

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 34 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

There are new COVID-19 outbreaks at Amica Westboro Park retirement home, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and a group home.

New COVID-19 outbreaks have been declared at three schools, including École élémentaire publique Julie-Payette and Holy Spirit elementary school. Ottawa Public Health's COVID-19 dashboard at an elementary school in Riverside South, but no other information was available.

The COVID-19 outbreak is now over at an Ottawa shelter where 69 residents and 14 staff members tested positive.

There are two active community outbreaks: one is linked to a construction workplace and one is at a multi-unit dwelling.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. École élémentaire catholique La Vérendrye
  2. École élémentaire catholique Saint-Jean-Paul II
  3. École secondaire publique Gisele-Lalonde
  4. École élémentaire publique Julie-Payette (New)
  5. Gloucester High School
  6. Holy Spirit elementary school (New)
  7. Mothercraft Ottawa home childcare - 34081
  8. Ottawa Islamic School
  9. Ottawa Torah Institute 
  10. Rodnichok childcare - 34075

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

  1. Amica Westboro Park (New)
  2. Bearbrook Retirement Residence
  3. Chartwell Duke of Devonshire
  4. Extendicare Laurier Manor
  5. Etendicare Medex 
  6. Forest Hill
  7. Group Home
  8. Group Home (A-9515) (New)
  9. Lord Lansdowne 
  10. Madonna Care Community
  11. Perley Rideau Veteran's Health Centre – Gatineau Building
  12. Peter D. Clark long-term care home 
  13. Riverpark Retirement Residence
  14. Rockcliffe Retirement Residence
  15. Sarsfield Colonial Home
  16. Shelter - Jan. 26
  17. Shelter - Jan. 27
  18. Shelter - Feb. 22
  19. Shelter - Feb. 24
  20. St. Vincent Hospital
  21. The Ottawa Hospital - Civic Campus - A2
  22. The Ottawa Hospital - Civic Campus - A4 (Medicine)/A5/B5/Ama
  23. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (New)

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.