OTTAWA -- On a day when Ontario marks a full week of new COVID-19 cases below 100 each day, Ottawa snapped another streak of double-digit increases.

Ontario health officials reported six new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Sunday. There were 79 new cases provincewide. 

 

The news follows four days of double-digit increases in the total case count, an echo of the second half of July, when Ottawa saw between 13 and 43 new cases each day for more than two straight weeks.

It should be noted, however, that the number of known active cases of the disease in Ottawa has also fallen in the past four days, despite the daily double-digit increases in the case count.

No new cases were reported by any other health unit in eastern Ontario on Sunday.

Four new cases were reported in the Outaouais region of Quebec on Sunday, out of 104 new cases provincewide.

According to Ottawa Public Health's daily COVID-19 dashboard update, the six new cases reported today bring the total of all laboratory-confirmed cases in Ottawa since the start of the pandemic to 2,629.

The dashboard shows the community seven-day average continues to fall, from 9.0 on Aug. 1 to 4.5 on Aug. 8.

Test results are seeing some delays. OPH says that between Aug. 2 and Aug. 8, 13 per cent of positive tests results were reported within 24 hours and 58 per cent were returned in 48 hours. 

There are eleven people in hospital, one fewer than Saturday's update, with two people in intensive care.

No new deaths were reported for a 12th straight day. The COVID-19 death toll in Ottawa stands at 264 residents.

Active Cases

The number of known active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa fell for a fourth straight day.

There are 139 active cases, according to Ottawa Public Health, down 16 from Saturday's report. This was again driven by a jump in resolved cases. 

The number of active cases is the number of total laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 minus the numbers of resolved cases and deaths.

OPH reported 22 new resolved cases on Sunday, for a total of 2,226, or just under 85 per cent of all known cases to date.

A case is considered resolved 14 days after known symptom onset or positive test result.

Cases by Age

Half of the new cases reported Sunday were in children under ten. The other half were in people 50 to 69 years old.

Here is a breakdown of all know COVID-19 cases in Ottawa by age category:

  • 0-9 years old: Three new cases (86 cases total, 21 active)
  • 10-19 years-old: No new cases (150 cases total, 21 active)
  • 20-29 years-old: No new cases (416 cases total, 29 active)
  • 30-39 years-old: No new cases (353 cases total, 25 active)
  • 40-49 years-old: No new cases (337 cases total, 9 active)
  • 50-59 years-old: Two new cases (354 cases total, 14 active)
  • 60-69-years-old: One new case (267 cases total, 13 active)
  • 70-79 years-old: No new cases (191 cases total, 3 active)
  • 80-89 years-old: No new cases (277 cases total, 3 active)
  • 90+ years: No new cases (198 cases total, 1 active)

Institutional Outbreaks

There are 12 active institutional outbreaks in Ottawa.

One new outbreak was added at Thorncliffe Place retirement home on Sunday.

The outbreak at Waterford Retirement has ended. There was one confirmed staff case between July 26 and Aug. 8.

A single laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 in a resident or staff member of a long-term care home or retirement home 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.

Click here for the latest figures on all COVID-19 outbreaks in Ottawa. 

Correction:

An earlier version of this article said no outbreaks had been declared over in Sunday's update, but that was incorrect. The outbreak at Waterford Retirement was removed from the active outbreak list.