OTTAWA

'This is our defining moment:' Ottawa sets new COVID-19 case record

Josh Pringle CTV News Ottawa Producer and Digital Lead

Published Friday, April 9, 2021 10:09AM EDT Last Updated Friday, April 9, 2021 3:11PM EDT

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OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health reported 242 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, the highest one-day case count in the capital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city also set records for hospitalizations and positivity rate on Friday.

The surging numbers prompted the city’s medical officer of health to issue a rallying cry to Ottawa residents, saying the city has reached a key point in the COVID-19 “marathon.”

“We are tired. We’re fatigued. We want this to be over. And this is the point in our COVID marathon where we’re hitting the wall,” Dr. Vera Etches told reporters Friday. “This is our defining moment. It’s a moment where we’ve got to break through that wall.

“Vaccines are our fuel, and so are our behaviours. Those together will get us across the finish line.”

Ottawa's positivity rate increased to 9.2 per cent for the period of April 2 to 8 from 8.8 per cent. Ottawa's weekly incidence rate is now 146 cases per 100,000 people.

There is one new death linked to COVID-19.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, 2020, there have been 19,030 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 471 deaths.

The number of cases involving variants of concern increased to 1,623 cases in Ottawa on Friday from 613 on Thursday. Public health reported a sixth death linked to variants of concern in the capital.

The 242 new cases on Friday breaks the record for COVID-19 cases in Ottawa. The previous record was 240 cases of COVID-19 set on Saturday.

There were 156 new cases on Thursday and 196 on Wednesday.

Across Ontario, there are 4,227 new cases of COVID-19. Health officials reported 1,218 cases in Toronto, 762 in Peel Region and 532 in York Region.

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 31-April 6): 146
Positivity rate in Ottawa: 9.2 per cent (April 2-April 8)
Reproduction number: 1.05 (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 9:

Dose 1 administered: 167,822
Dose 2 administered: 27,395
Total doses received: 223,150

The city received 25,740 new doses of the Pfizer vaccine, 11,800 doses of the Moderna vaccine, and 11,200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on April 4.

Ottawa Public Health reports 157,037 Ottawa residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, accounting for 15 per cent of the population.

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: 1,623
Deaths linked to variants/mutations: Six

*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

Ottawa Public Health reports 71 people are currently in Ottawa-area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses.

That's up from 69 people in hospital on Thursday.

Twenty-four people are in the intensive care unit.

Of the people in hospital, two are in their 20s, four are in their 30s, five are in their 40s (one is in the ICU), 16 are in their 50s (four are in the ICU), 16 are in their 60s (nine are in the ICU), 14 are in their 70s (seven are in the ICU), nine are in their 80s (one is in the ICU), and four are 90 or older.

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

The number of active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa has surpassed 2,000 for the first time during the pandemic.

There are 2,023 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, up from 1,948 active cases on Thursday.

166 more Ottawa residents have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 16,536 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 TESTING IN OTTAWA

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce says 3,244 swabs were processed at assessment centres in Ottawa on April 7.

A total of 7,582 lab tests were performed in Ottawa on Wednesday.

The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at an Ottawa assessment centre to the result is 28 hours.

CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION

Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 64 cases
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 16 cases
Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 18 cases
Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 22 cases
Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 12 cases
Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 120 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.

There are 12 active community outbreaks: Five outbreaks are linked to restaurants, three outbreaks are linked to services workplaces, one is linked to retail, one is linked to a private social event, one linked to a health workplace and one is linked to construction.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

Centrepointe Home Daycare (March 26)
St. Gabriel Elementary School (March 29)
St. Leonard Elementary School (March 30)
St. Isidore Elementary School (March 31)
Connaught Public School (April 2)
Fallingbrook Community Elementary School (April 2)
Sacred Heart High School (April 3)
École secondaire publique Louis-Riel (April 3)
Featherston Drive Public School (April 6)
Sawmill Creek Elementary School (April 6)
Centre Educatif La Clementine (April 6) NEW
St. Dominic elementary school (April 7) NEW
Ecome leemntary catholique De La Decouverte (April 7) NEW
John McCrae Secondary School (April 8) NEW
Ecole secondaire catholique Beatrice-Desloges (April 8) NEW

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

The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (Feb. 19)
University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 12)
St. Vincent Hospital (March 15)
University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 16)
University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 21)
Supported Independent Living (March 23)
Longfields Manor (March 24)
St. Vincent Hospital - 5N (March 26)
Jardin Royal Garden (March 27)
Sisters of Charity (March 28)
Hillel Lodge (March 30)
Group Home A-11533) (March 31)
Queensway Carleton Hospital (April 2)
Group Home (April 3)
William E. Hay Centre (April 3)
Park Place (April 4)
Viva Barrhaven Retirement Community (April 5)
General Campus Warehouse (April 6)

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.