OTTAWA

Ottawa sees more than 100 new cases of COVID-19 for second consecutive day

Josh Pringle CTV News Ottawa Producer and Digital Lead

Published Friday, March 26, 2021 10:29AM EDT Last Updated Friday, March 26, 2021 12:38PM EDT

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OTTAWA -- For the first time in over two months, Ottawa is seeing a triple-digit increase in COVID-19 cases on consecutive days.

The health unit reported 139 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, along with no new deaths linked to the virus.

Ninety-seven of the 139 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa involve residents between the ages of 10 and 40.

Since the first case of COVID-19 on March 11, 2020, there have been 16,622 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, and 459 deaths.

The 139 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday follows 151 new cases on Thursday. The last time Ottawa saw consecutive days with triple-digit COVID-19 cases was Jan. 16 and 17.

The Ottawa Public Health COVID-19 Dashboard shows Ottawa's positivity rate increased to 4.6 per cent from 4.2 per cent over the past seven days.

Across Ontario, there are 2,169 new cases of COVID-19. There are 682 new cases in Toronto, 397 in Peel Region and 254 in York Region.

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

Ottawa is in "Red-Control" status under Ontario's COVID-19 framework.

Ottawa Public Health data:

COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (March 18-24): 64.7
Positivity rate in Ottawa: 4.3 per cent (March 19-25)
Reproduction number: 1.11 (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 red-control threshold is a weekly incidence rate of 40 or more cases per 100,000 people and a positivity rate of 2.5 per cent or higher and a reproduction number of 1.2 or more.

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 26:

Vaccine doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 110.116 (up 10,230 since Wednesday)*
COVID-19 doses received (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna): 133,440

OPH says the city received a shipment of 36,270 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on March 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."

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

There are 29 people in Ottawa-area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses.

Eight people are in the intensive care unit.

Of the people in hospital, one is in their 30s, two are in their 40s, six are in their 50s (two are in the ICU), seven are in their 60s (four in the ICU), six are in their 70s (two in the ICU), six are in their 80s and one is 90 or older.

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

The number of people with known active cases of COVID-19 is approaching 900.

There are 895 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, up from 817 active cases on Thursday.

Sixty-one more Ottawa residents have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 15,268 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 TESTING IN OTTAWA

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce reports 2,371 swabs were processed at assessment centres in Ottawa on March 24.

A total of 6,728 lab tests were performed in Ottawa on Wednesday.

The average turnaround from the time to swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 32 hours.

COVID-19 CASES ACROSS THE REGION

Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 30 cases
Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Public Health: Seven cases
Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: 16 cases
Renfrew County and District Health Unit: Eight cases

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 43 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

There is a new COVID-19 outbreak at Longfields Manor long-term care home. One resident tested positive for the virus.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Longfields Manor says at the direction of public health, all residents and staff will be tested for COVID-19 on Friday and Saturday.

Public health is reporting a new COVID-19 outbreak at St. Elizabeth Elementary School.

The COVID-19 outbreak at Lord Lansdowne is over.

There are five active community outbreaks: one is linked to a construction workplace, one is linked to a health workplace, one is linked to recreation and two linked to a restaurant.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

Rodnichok Daycare (March 1)
École élémentaire catholique Riverside South II (March 12)
École secondaire catholique Pierre Savard (March 13)
École élémentaire publique Séraphin-Marion (March 14)
Nature and Nurture Childcare Services (March 14)
St. Luke's Childcare Centre (March 15) [NEW]
Vincent Massey Public School (March 17)
École élémentaire catholique Arc-en-Ciel (March 19)
École élémentaire catholique Horizon-Jeunesse (March 19)
École secondaire publique Gisèle-Lalonde (March 19)
Henry Larsen Elementary School (March 19)
École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité (March 21)
St. James Elementary School (March 23)
John McCrae Secondary School (March 23)
Fallingbrook Community Elementary School(March 23)
Carleton Heights Public School (March 23)
St. Elizabeth Elementary School (march 25 [NEW}

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

Shelter (Jan. 26)
The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (Feb. 19)
Extendicare Laurier Manor LTCH (Feb. 25)
Madonna Care Community (Feb. 26)
Sarsfield Colonial Home (Feb. 27)
Group Home (March 3)
Perley-Rideau Veterans' Health Centre – Gatineau Building (March 4)
St. Vincent Hospital (March 6)
Peter D. Clark LTCH (March 10)
Group Home (March 11)
Amica Westboro Park RH (March 12)
University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 12)
Chapel Hill RH (March 13)
The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (March 13)
St. Patrick's Home (March 14)
Osgoode Care Centre (March 15)
St. Vincent Hospital (March 15)
Carlingview Manor (March 16)
University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 16)
Elisabeth Bruyere Hospital (March 18)
Portobello Retirement Residence (March 18)
Extendicare West End Villa (March 19)
University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 21)
Supported Independent Living (March 23)
Timberwalk Retirement Home (March 24)
Longfields Manor (March 24) [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, two children or staff or household member cases of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 within a 14-day period where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the childcare establishment is considered an outbreak in a childcare establishment.

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.