OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health is reporting another 198 people in the city have tested positive for COVID-19, pushing the capital's pandemic total to more than 18,000 confirmed cases.

Ottawa surpassed 17,000 cases on March 29.

Sunday's report from Ottawa Public Health's COVID-19 dashboard shows Ottawa has seen 18,023 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the first case was confirmed on March 11, 2020.

No new deaths were reported on Sunday. The city's pandemic death toll stands at 467 residents.

The Ontario government did not provide a provicewide update on Sunday because of the Easter holiday. Ontario will release both Sunday and Monday's reports at 10:30 a.m. Monday.

There are more people in the hospital and in the ICU, and the number of people with known active cases of COVID-19 has surpassed 1,600. The city's incidence rate of new cases per 100,000 people is nearly 115 and the estimated reproduction number remains above 1, meaning the virus is spreading. 

No testing figures are being provided today by the province or the Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce. The next update of local testing figures will be released Monday.

In a thread on Twitter, Ottawa's medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches said the curve is worsening and linked cases to social gatherings at restaurants and outdoors. 

"Ottawans, we moved into the Red zone as COVID-19 levels were rising (two weeks) ago (and) the curve has only worsened," she wrote. "(Two) weekends ago we had lovely weather (and) a lot of socializing. I am seeing many people test positive after being in groups at restaurants, with transmission even outdoors."

Etches added that COVID-19 is spreading too quickly and that vaccination will not turn the curve if growth remains at its current pace.

"We have added testing capacity, are making space in hospitals with canceled procedures, and it won't be enough if exponential growth continues. There isn't enough vaccine to protect everyone from this resurgence. We have to stay home," she said.

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

Ottawa entered Ontario's COVID-19 "shutdown" at 12:01 a.m. April 3.

Ottawa Public Health data:

  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (March 27-April 2): 114.9
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 6.5 per cent (March 26-April 1)
  • Reproduction number: 1.17 (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 IN OTTAWA

As of April 2:

  • First vaccine doses administered: 124,462
  • Second vaccine doses administered: 26,824
  • Total doses received: 176,410

OPH says the city received a shipment of 36,270 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on March 29.

VARIANTS OF CONCERN

Ottawa Public Health data*:

  • Total B.1.1.7 (UK variant) cases: 23
  • Total B.1.351 (South Africa variant) cases: 6
  • Total P.1 (Brazil variant) cases: 0
  • Total variants of concern/mutation cases: 599
  • Deaths linked to variants/mutations: 4

*OPH notes that that VOC and mutation trends must be treated with caution due to the varying time required to complete VOC testing and/or genomic analysis following the initial positive test for SARS-CoV-2. Test results may be completed in batches and data corrections or updates can result in changes to case counts that may differ from past reports.

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

There are 47 people in Ottawa-area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses, up from 44 on Saturday.

Sixteen people people are in the intensive care unit, up from 14.

Of the people in hospital, one person is in their 20s, one is in their 30s, two are in their 40s, 13 are in their 50s (four are in the ICU), 10 are in their 60s (six are in the ICU), eight are in their 70s (four are in the ICU), nine are in their 80s (two are in the ICU) and three are 90 or older.

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

Ottawa Public Health is reporting 1,641 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, up from 1,516  active cases on Saturday.

Seventy-three more Ottawa residents have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 15,915 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: 16 new cases (1,390 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: 18 new cases (2,315 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: 47 new cases (3,967 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: 29 new cases (2,597 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: 29 new cases (2,331 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: 32 new cases (2,164 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: 12 new cases (1,280 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: 13 new cases (755 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: 2 new cases (742 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: 0 new cases (479 total cases)
  • Unknown: 0 new cases (3 cases total)

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.

An outbreak at an Ottawa shelter that began Jan. 26 has now official ended. The outbreak resulted in 51 residents cases, 16 staff cases and one resident death.

Outbreaks have also ended at the Elisabeth Bruyere Hospital, the Portobello Retirement Residence, Seraphin-Marion elementary school and St. Peter High School.

One new outbreak has declared Sunday at Sacred Heart High School.

There are six active community outbreaks, up from five on Saturday. Two outbreaks are linked to services workplaces, one is linked to a private social event, one is linked to a restaurant, one is linked to a recreational workplace, and one is linked to construction.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. St. Luke's Childcare Centre (March 15)
  2. Centrepointe Home Daycare (March 26)
  3. St. Gabriel Elementary School (March 29)
  4. St. Leonard Elementary School (March 30)
  5. St. Isidore Elementary School (March 31)
  6. Connaught Public School (April 2) 
  7. Fallingbrook Community Elementary School (April 2) 
  8. Our Lady of Fatima Elementary School (April 2) 
  9. Sacred Heart High School (April 3) [NEW]

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

  1. The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (Feb. 19)
  2. St. Vincent Hospital (March 6)
  3. Extendicare Medex (March 9)
  4. Peter D. Clark LTCH (March 10)
  5. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 12)
  6. Chapel Hill RH (March 13)
  7. St. Patrick's Home (March 14)
  8. St. Vincent Hospital (March 15)
  9. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 16)
  10. Shelter (March 21)
  11. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 21)
  12. Supported Independent Living (March 23)
  13. Timberwalk Retirement Home (March 24)
  14. Longfields Manor (March 24)
  15. University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 26)
  16. St. Vincent Hospital - 5N (March 26) 
  17. Jardin Royal Garden (March 27)
  18. Sisters of Charity (March 28)
  19. Landmark Court Retirement Home (March 29)
  20. Hillel Lodge (March 30)
  21. Group Home A-11533) (March 31)
  22. Manotick Place Retirement (March 31) 
  23. Wildpine Retirement Living (April 1) 
  24. Queensway Carleton Hospital (April 2) 

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.