OTTAWA -- Ontario health officials are reporting 16 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, after two days of single-digit increases.

In Ontario's daily epidemiologic update, there were 16 cases in the capital out of 86 cases in all of Ontario. No new cases were added anywhere else in eastern Ontario in Wednesday's update.

This follows a single new case reported in Ottawa on Tuesday, and four new cases on Monday.

Ottawa Public Health's COVID-19 dashboard update shows there have been 2,576 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the first case was confirmed on March 11.

OPH says 1,064 test results were returned from select laboratories on Aug. 4, with a positivity rate of 0.6 per cent.

The dashboard continues to show a decline in the seven-day average, which sits at 6.38 as of Aug. 4. The average has been declining steadily since peaking July 22. OPH notes that the databases are live, and the data in the daily dashboard represents a snapshot in time. The databases are continuously being updated as cases are investigated and as more information becomes available.

OPH dashboard Aug. 4

No new deaths were reported in Ottawa for an eighth straight day. The death toll from COVID-19 stands at 264 residents. There was one death reported in July.

One additional person has been admitted to hospital, but another person has left the ICU. There are 13 people currently in hospital with COVID-19 complications and one person in intensive care.

Active Cases

The number of known active cases in Ottawa rose back above 200 with Wednesday's update. OPH reports 207 active cases in the city, 11 more than Tuesday. 

The number of active cases is the number of total cases minus the numbers of resolved cases and deaths. Ottawa Public Health continues to say the actual number of infections could be five to 30 times greater than the number of laboratory-confirmed infections.

Five new resolved cases were added to OPH's count Wednesday, for a total of 2,105, or just under 82 per cent of all cases to date. A case is considered resolved 14 days after known symptom onset or positive test result.

 

Cases by Age

The increase in Wednesday's report was driven by new cases in people under the age of 40. Thirteen of the 16 new cases reported Wednesday were in people under 40. There were three cases in people in their 60s. 

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

  • 0-9 years old: Three new cases (76 cases total, 28 active)
  • 10-19 years-old: Two new cases (143 cases total, 39 active)
  • 20-29 years-old: Four new cases (407 cases total, 49 active)
  • 30-39 years-old: Four new cases (340 cases total, 33 active)
  • 40-49 years-old: No new cases (334 cases total, 17 active)
  • 50-59 years-old: No new cases (346 cases total, 16 active)
  • 60-69-years-old: Three new cases (263 cases total, 17 active)
  • 70-79 years-old: No new cases (191 cases total, 3 active)
  • 80-89 years-old: No new cases (278 cases total, 4 active)
  • 90+ years: No new cases (198 cases total, 1 active)

Institutional Outbreaks

There are 12 active institutional outbreaks in Ottawa.

OPH says the outbreak at the Redwoods Retirement Home has ended, as of Aug. 3. There was one staff case during the outbreak.

There are six childcare centres, three retirement homes, and three long-term care homes experiencing outbreaks at this time.

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 institutional outbreaks in Ottawa.