OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health says 107 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19. It's the first time more than 100 cases have been reported since January.

The new cases also push Ottawa past 16,000 total COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. OPH's COVID-19 dashboard now shows 16,021 total laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the first case was confirmed on March 11, 2020.

No new deaths were reported in Ottawa on Saturday. The pandemic death toll stands at 451 residents.

There were1,829 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario on Saturday. The province also reported 11 new deaths 1,261 newly resolved cases provincewide.

One new case of the B.1.1.7 variant, first detected in the UK, was confirmed in Ottawa. To date, Ottawa has seen 15 confirmed cases of B.1.1.7 and two confirmed cases of B.1.351, the variant first detected in South Africa. The province says 33 more cases have screened positive for a mutation of undetermined lineage (i.e., not B.1.1.7, B.1.351, or P.1). Provincial data show 236 total cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa have tested positive for a mutation.

Most of Ottawa's key monitoring statistics held steady on Saturday, with the incidence rate of new cases per 100,000 population in the previous seven days falling slightly. 

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 (previous seven days): 49.7 (down from 50.0 on Friday and up from 49.1 on Thursday)
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 2.9 per cent (March 12-18)
  • Reproduction number: 1.03 (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 19:

  • Vaccine doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 87,737 (up by 4,841 since Wednesday)
  • COVID-19 doses received (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna): 97,170

Ottawa Public Health received a shipment of 10,530 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on March 15. A shipment of 6,100 doses of the Moderna vaccine arrived on March 13.

*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 23 people currently in Ottawa-area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses. The figure is unchanged from Friday, but there are now five people in intensive care, up from four.

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

Ottawa Public Health is reporting an increase in active COVID-19 cases in Ottawa. The number of people with known active cases surpassed 700 on Saturday for the first time since late January.

There are 729 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, up from 668 active cases on Friday.

Forty-six more Ottawa residents have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 14,841 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: Six new cases (1,230 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: 11 new cases (2,002 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: 25 new cases (3,497 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: 24 new cases (2,269 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: 14 new cases (2,056 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: 16 new cases (1,925 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: 10 new cases (1,155 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: One new case (701 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: Zero new cases (716 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: Zero new cases (467 total cases)
  • Unknown: Zero new cases (3 cases total)

COVID-19 TESTING

Ontario health officials say 52,038 COVID-19 tests were completed provincewide on Friday. 

On Friday, the Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce said 2,265 swabs were processed at local assessment centres on Thursday and labs performed 6,224 tests. The average positivity rate for the week of March 12 to 18 was 2.9 per cent.

The next update from the Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce will be released Monday.

COVID-19 CASES ACROSS THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 27 new cases
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington: 11 new cases
  • Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: 32 new cases
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 4 new cases
  • Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 48 new cases

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 33 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

Outbreaks ended at Paul Desmarais French catholic high school, the Abraar Mac Child Care Centre, a local shelter, the Riverpark Retirement Residence and the Bearbrook Retirement Residence.

New outbreaks were declared at Elisabeth Bruyere Hospital, the Portobello Retirement Residence and Extendicare West End Villa.

There are two active community outbreaks: One is linked to a warehouse and one is linked to a multi-unit dwelling.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Rodnichok Daycare (March 1)
  2. Holy Spirit Elementary School (March 10)
  3. École élémentaire publique Julie-Payette
  4. École élémentaire catholique Riverside South II (March 12)
  5. École secondaire catholique Pierre Savard (March 13)
  6. École élémentaire publique Séraphin-Marion (March 14)
  7. Nature and Nurture Childcare Services (March 14)
  8. Vincent Massey Public School (March 17) 

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

  1. Shelter (Jan. 26)
  2. The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (Feb. 19)
  3. Shelter (Feb. 24)
  4. Extendicare Laurier Manor LTCH (Feb. 25)
  5. Madonna Care Community (Feb. 26)
  6. Sarsfield Colonial Home (Feb. 27)
  7. Group Home (March 3)
  8. Perley-Rideau Veterans' Health Centre – Gatineau Building (March 4)
  9. St. Vincent Hospital (March 6)
  10. Extendicare Medex LTCH (March 9)
  11. Peter D. Clark LTCH (March 10)
  12. Group Home (March 11)
  13. Lord Lansdowne RH (March 11)
  14. Amica Westboro Park RH (March 12)
  15. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 12)
  16. Chapel Hill RH (March 13)
  17. The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (March 13)
  18. St. Patrick's Home (March 14)
  19. Osgoode Care Centre (March 15)
  20. St. Vincent Hospital (March 15) 
  21. Carlingview Manor (March 16)
  22. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 16)
  23. Elisabeth Bruyere Hospital (March 18) [NEW]
  24. Portobello Retirement Residence (March 18) [NEW]
  25. Extendicare West End Villa (March 19) [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.