OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health is reporting its lowest daily COVID-19 case count in nearly a month.

The public health unit said 48 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19, a figure not seen since Dec. 29, 2020.

No new deaths were reported for a second day in a row, leaving the city's pandemic death toll at 419 residents.

Public Health Ontario reported 1,958 new cases of COVID-19 reported across the province. Ontario also reported 43 new deaths and 2,448 new resolved cases on Monday. The province added 51 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa.

Figures from the province and from OPH often differ due to different data collection times, but each respective authority's total cases are similar, with Ontario reporting 12,979 cases versus Ottawa Public Health's 12,977.

The lower case count on Monday also adds to a trend of improving weekly monitoring signals, including a reduction in the weekly rate of new cases per capita. The testing positivity rate is also down and the estimated reproduction number is below 1, though it has been trending upwards in recent days.

In order to move Ottawa from the "red" zone under Ontario's colour-coded framework, Ottawa would need to see a weeky incidence rate per 100,000 of less than 40. That figure peaked at 98 earlier this month and has since fallen below 60. The positivity rate needs to drop below 2.5 per cent to move out of "red" status. 

The number of known active cases has also fallen below 900 for the first time since Jan. 7

OTTAWA'S COVID-19 KEY STATISTICS

Ottawa Public Health moved Ottawa into its red zone in early January.

A provincial stay-at-home order has been in effect since Jan. 14, 2021.

Ottawa Public Health data:

  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 58.4 cases
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 3.0 per cent (Jan. 18 - Jan. 24)
  • Reproduction number: 0.99 (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. 

VACCINES

As of Jan. 25, 2021

  • Doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 23,883
  • Doses received in Ottawa: 25,350

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

The number of people with known active cases has fallen to 869, the lowest figure since Jan. 7. 

OPH says the total number of resolved cases in the city has risen to 11,689, up 118 from Sunday's total.

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 three fewer people in Ottawa hospitals compared to Sunday, but two more people have been moved into intensive care.

OPH reported 34 COVID-19 related hospitalizations and 8 ICU admissions on Monday. 

Of the people in hospital, seven are in their 50s (one is in the ICU), eight are in their 60s (six are in the ICU), one is in their 70s, 11 are in their 80s (one is in the ICU), and seven are 90 or older.

COVID-19 TESTING

Ontario health officials say 35,968 COVID-19 tests were performed provincewide on Sunday and 14,991 tests remain under investigation.

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce says 537 swabs were taken at assessment centres on Sunday and local labs performed 1,922 COVID-19 tests. There are 652 tests still in progress as of Jan. 25.

The testing positivity rate for the week of Jan. 18 to 24 was 3.0 per cent, down from 3.2 per cent for the week of Jan. 15 to 21.

The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 24 hours.

COVID-19 CASES BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: Seven new cases (930 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: Eight new cases (1,630 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: 12 new cases (2,768 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: Seven new cases (1,797 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: Five new cases (1,685 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: Three new cases (1,542 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: Four new cases (947 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: Zero new cases (585 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: One new case (654 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: One new case (436 total cases)

The ages of three people with COVID-19 are unknown.

COVID-19 CASES ACROSS THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 11 new cases
  • Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: One new case
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health: Three new cases
  • Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: Two new cases
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: Zero new cases
  • Outaouais region: 23 new cases

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 41 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

Two outbreaks at local daycares have ended and one new outbreak was decalred at a Children's Village home daycare.

There are seven active community outbreaks, all linked to workplaces, including an office, a construction site, a restaurant, a warehouse, a manufacturing or industrial facility, a health workplace and a services workplace.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Children's Village of Ottawa-Carleton - Home daycare (NEW)
  2. Greenboro Children's Centre
  3. Little Acorn Early Learning Centre
  4. Montessori by Brightpath
  5. Ruddy Family Y Child Care
  6. Wee Watch Nepean – Home Child Care - 29084

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

  1. Besserer Place
  2. Centre D'Accueil Champlain
  3. Colonel By Retirement Home
  4. Elisabeth Bruyere Residence
  5. Extendicare Laurier Manor
  6. Extendicare Medex
  7. Extendicare New Orchard Lodge
  8. Extendicare West End Villa
  9. Forest Hill
  10. Garden Terrace
  11. Garry J. Armstrong long-term care home
  12. Grace Manor Long-term Care Home
  13. Group Home - 28608
  14. Group Home - 29045
  15. Group Home - 29049
  16. Group Home - 29052
  17. Madonna Care Community
  18. Montfort Long-term Care Centre
  19. Oakpark Retirement Community
  20. Park Place
  21. Perley and Rideau Veterans' Health Centre
  22. Peter D. Clark long-term care home
  23. Richmond Care Home
  24. Rockcliffe Retirement Residence
  25. Shelter - 28778
  26. Shelter - 29413
  27. Sisters of Charity - Couvent Mont St. Joseph
  28. St. Patrick's Home
  29. Stirling Park Retirement Community
  30. Supported Independent Living - 29100
  31. The Ravines Independent Living
  32. Valley Stream Retirement Residence
  33. Villa Marconi
  34. Villagia in the Glebe

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).