The low daily COVID-19 case count in Ottawa comes with an asterisk

OTTAWA -

There is a low daily COVID-19 case count in Ottawa Wednesday, so low it's a negative figure, and Ottawa Public Health has offered an explanation.

OPH reduced the total case count for the city by one case, to 27,334, announcing a new daily update of -1 cases. In a Twitter thread after the dashboard was updated, the health unit said there were actually 20 new cases added Wednesday, but 21 cases were removed from the local total.

"Every case goes through a quality assurance process. It takes a lot of time & effort, especially when you're in the middle of another resurgence and reporting 300+ cases per day. Sometimes, their work will find that a case previously reported in Ottawa wasn't ours," OPH said on Twitter.

"The individual may have been tested in Ottawa, so the lab sample was logged at an Ottawa testing site, but they live in another region (Gatineau, Hawkesbury, etc.). When that happens, the case is removed from our cumulative count & is added to that of another health unit."

OPH said the seven-day averages, such as the weekly per capita rate, are a better determinant of how the level of COVID-19 in the community is changing. On Wednesday, the rate of new cases per 100,000 population in the previous seven days fell to below 25 for the first time in 2021. The weekly average testing positivity rate also fell slightly and the number of active cases continues to fall.

One new death was reported by OPH on Wednesday, bringing the city's pandemic death toll to 583 residents.

Public Health Ontario reported one new case in Ottawa on Wednesday for a cumulative total of 27,315 cases, slightly below OPH's total. Figures from OPH often differ from those provided by Public Health Ontario because the two health agencies pull data for their respective daily reports at different times of the day; however, in the past few days, the discrepancies have been minor.

The province reported zero new cases in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit and the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health region on Wednesday. One new case was reported in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health region and the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit. The Renfrew County and District Health Unit saw three new cases. 

Across the province, public health officials reported 411 newly confirmed cases and 33 new deaths, but the Ministry of Health noted that 11 of those deaths happened in April and May. There are 932 more cases in Ontario that are considered resolved.

The province says 30,456 tests were processed across Ontario in the last 24 hours.

OTTAWA'S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

Step One of Ontario's Roadmap to Reopen plan begins at 12:01 a.m. June 11.

Ottawa Public Health data:

• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (June 1 to June 7): 24.7 (down from 26.8)
• Positivity rate in Ottawa (June 2 to June 8): 3.2 per cent (down from 3.3 per cent May 31 to June 6)
• Reproduction number (seven day average): 0.78

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.

COVID-19 VACCINES IN OTTAWA

Ottawa Public Health updates vaccine numbers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

As of June 9:

• Ottawa residents with 1 dose (12+): 615,182 (+15,612)
• Ottawa residents with 2 doses (12+): 79,689 (+9,481)
• Total doses received in Ottawa: 663,610 (+53,820 Pfizer doses and +5,000 Moderna doses received this week) 

As of Wednesday, 70 per cent Ottawa residents 18 and older had received at least one dose of the vaccine.

*Total doses received does not include AstraZeneca doses shipped to pharmacies and primary care clinics.

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

Ottawa Public Health reported 25 people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses and five people are in the intensive care unit, up from four.

Hospitalizations (and ICU admissions) by age category:

• 0-9: 0
• 10-19: 0
• 20-29: 0
• 30-39: 1
• 40-49: 4 (2 in ICU)
• 50-59: 6 (1 in ICU)
• 60-69: 6 (1 in ICU)
• 70-79: 5 (1 in ICU)
• 80-89: 2
• 90+: 1

 These data are based on figures from Ottawa Public Health's COVID-19 dashboard, which refer to residents of Ottawa and do not include patient transfers from other regions.

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

There are 400 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Wednesday, down from 449 active cases on Tuesday.

OPH reported that 47 more people recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. The total number of resolved cases of coronavirus in Ottawa is now 26,351.

The number of active cases is the number of total laboratory-confirmed 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
Infogram

VARIANTS OF CONCERN

Ottawa Public Health data*:

• Total B.1.1.7 (UK/Alpha variant) cases: 5,681 (+67)
• Total B.1.351 (South Africa/Beta variant) cases: 322
• Total P.1 (Brazil/Gamma variant) cases: 29
• Total B.1.617: 3
• Total B.1.617.2 (Delta variant): 4
• Other variant: 1
• Total variants of concern/mutation cases: 6,735 (+67)
• Deaths linked to variants/mutations: 75 (+2)

*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.

COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

• 0-9 years old: Five cases removed (2,239 total cases)
• 10-19 years-old: One new case (3,487 total cases)
• 20-29 years-old: Zero new cases (6,140 total cases)
• 30-39 years-old: Two cases removed (4,173 total cases)
• 40-49 years-old: Two new cases (3,600 total cases)
• 50-59 years-old: One case removed (3,290 total cases)
• 60-69-years-old: Two new cases (1,942 total cases)
• 70-79 years-old: One new cases (1,084 total cases)
• 80-89 years-old: One new case (857 total cases)
• 90+ years old: Zero new cases (519 total cases)
• Unknown: Zero new cases (3 cases total)  

*NOTE: These changes included cases added and removed from the total case count. Ottawa Public Health said Wednesday it added 20 new cases to the city's cumulative total but removed 21 cases from that total for a net change in cases of -1. 

COVID-19 TESTING IN OTTAWA

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce will provide an update on local testing figures this afternoon.

Public Health Ontario says 30,456 COVID-19 tests were completed across the province on Tuesday.

CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION

• Eastern Ontario Health Unit: Zero new cases
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: Zero new cases
• Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: One new case
• Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: One new case
• Renfrew County and District Health Unit: Three new cases
• Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): Seven new cases

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

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

Active community outbreaks are:

Workplace - Distribution: One outbreak

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

1. Service A L'Enfrance Aladin St-Anne (May 13)
2. Global Child Services Home Child Care (May 27)
3. Dolphin Tale Child Care (May 30)

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

1. Villa Marconi - 3rd Floor (May 10)
2. The Ottawa Hospital General Campus - Single Unit 5E (May 15) 
3. Group Home A-16961 (May 18) 
4. Centre D'Accueil Champlain - 2nd floor unit and 5th floor unit (May 19) 
5. Elisabeth Bruyere Residence - REB 5 Unit (May 21) 
6. Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre (May 22) 
7. Garry J Armstrong long-term care home - 5th floor and 6th floor (May 24) 
8. The Ottawa Hospital Rehab Centre - Ward A (May 25)
9. Maison Accueil Sagesse (May 25)
10. Group Home A-17628 (May 29) 
11. The Ottawa Hospital General Campus - 5N (May 30) 
12. The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus - E5 (May 30)
13. Maycourt Hospice (June 1)

 As of April 7, two cases of COVID-19 in a resident or staff member of a long-term care home, retirement home with an with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the facility is considered an outbreak in a long-term care home or retirement home. One laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 in a staff member or resident of other institutions such as shelters, group homes, is considered an outbreak. 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.