COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for May 28, 2021 - CTV Edmonton

OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.

Fast Facts:

• Ottawa's top doctor hopes schools will reopen for in-person learning next week
• Ottawa sees 45 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday
• Federal advisory panel recommends end to hotel quarantine in Canada
• Face masks no longer mandatory on Ottawa playground equipment

COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):

• New COVID-19 cases: 45 cases on Thursday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 26,799
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days):  45.4
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 5.1 per cent (May 19 to May 25)
• Reproduction Number: 0.79 (seven day average)

Testing:

Who should get a test?

Ottawa Public Health says you can get a COVID-19 test at an assessment centre, care clinic, or community testing site if any of the following apply to you:

• You are showing COVID-19 symptoms;
• You have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus, as informed by Ottawa Public Health or exposure notification through the COVID Alert app;
• You are a resident or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by Ottawa Public Health;
• You are a resident, a worker or a visitor to long-term care, retirement homes, homeless shelters or other congregate settings (for example: group homes, community supported living, disability-specific communities or congregate settings, short-term rehab, hospices and other shelters);
• You are a person who identifies as First Nations, Inuit or Métis;
• You are a person travelling to work in a remote First Nations, Inuit or Métis community;
• You received a preliminary positive result through rapid testing;
• You require testing 72 hours before a scheduled (non-urgent or emergent) surgery (as recommended by your health care provider);
• You are a patient and/or their 1 accompanying escort tra­velling out of country for medical treatment;
• You are an international student that has passed their 14-day quarantine period;
• You are a farm worker;
• You are an educator who cannot access pharmacy-testing; or
• You are in a targeted testing group as outlined in guidance from the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Ottawa:

There are several sites for COVID-19 testing in Ottawa. To book an appointment, visit https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/shared-content/assessment-centres.aspx

• The Brewer Ottawa Hospital/CHEO Assessment Centre: Open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• COVID-19 Drive-Thru Assessment Centre at 300 Coventry Road: Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• The Moodie Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Open Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (testing only)
• The Heron Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (testing only)
• North Grenville COVID-19 Assessment Centre (Kemptville) – 15 Campus Drive: Open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Centretown Community Health Centre: Open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sandy Hill Community Health Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 pm.
• Somerset West Community Health Centre: Open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday

COVID-19 screening tool:

The COVID-19 screening tool for students heading back to in-person classes can be found here.

Symptoms:

Classic Symptoms: fever, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath

Other symptoms: sore throat, difficulty swallowing, new loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, pneumonia, new or unexplained runny nose or nasal congestion

Less common symptoms: unexplained fatigue, muscle aches, headache, delirium, chills, red/inflamed eyes, croup

Ottawa's medical officer of health is hoping students return to the classroom at schools across the city next week after six weeks of online learning.

"I do hope so, because this is what we're working towards – schools should be one of the first essential services to open and we're seeing the harm to children, to families, to parents," said Dr. Vera Etches during an interview on CTV News at Five.

Premier Doug Ford has written a letter to dozens of medical experts and education sector unions asking them for "input on the possible safe return to schools" in June.

Ottawa Public Health is reporting 45 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday, the eighth straight day with double-digit case numbers.

Two new deaths linked to novel coronavirus were also reported.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, 2020, there have been 26,799 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 563 deaths.

The federal government is being urged to end the mandatory hotel quarantine required for international travellers entering Canada.

A federal advisory panel that provides advice on COVID-19 testing and screening recommends travellers must present a suitable quarantine plan. Failing approval, they will be required to stay at a designated government facility.

The federal government imposed the hotel quarantine rule in February to discourage international, non-essential jet setting.

Face masks are no longer mandatory for children and parents on playgrounds across the city of Ottawa, but health officials still recommend wearing a mask when physical distancing isn't possible.

Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches rescinded the directive making masks mandatory for parents and children on and around playgrounds and play structures in parks.

Etches told Council on Wednesday that Ottawa Public Health rescinded the directive as Ontario allowed more outdoor recreational amenities to reopen.

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COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for May 28, 2021 - CTV Edmonton
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