COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for June 3, 2021 - CTV Edmonton

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

Fast Facts:

• Ottawa and eastern Ontario schools will not reopen for in-person learning in June
• Ottawa school boards 'surprised' by directions for outdoor graduation ceremonies in June
• Ontario's premier is considering an earlier reopening of the economy
• Ottawa's active COVID-19 case numbers drop below 600 on Wednesday

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

• New COVID-19 cases: 42 on Wednesday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 27,139
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days):  37.5
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 3.9 per cent (May 26 to June 1)
• Reproduction Number: 0.91 (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

Students will not be returning to schools in Ottawa and eastern Ontario in June for in-person learning.

Premier Doug Ford announced schools won't reopen for in-person learning for the final month of the school year.  Ford told reporters the move to keep schools closed will protect families from the B.1.617 COVID variant and allow for higher rates of vaccination of students, staff and families.

In a statement, Ottawa mayor Jim Watson called the news "deeply disappointing."

"This decision was made despite the advice of local public health units, including Ottawa Public Health, CHEO, medical experts and the Science Advisory Table," he said.

"The last 15 months have been challenging for education staff, parents, kids and caregivers. There is no doubt today's news will make the next few weeks even harder."

Ottawa's two largest school boards admit they were surprised by the province's plan to allow outdoor graduation ceremonies.

Premier Ford indicated Wednesday he would like to see schools host in-person, outdoor graduation events for all students, not just students in Grades 8 and 12.

Ottawa Catholic School Board Director of Education Tom D'Amico says he was surprised to hear the premier call for outdoor graduation ceremonies for all students, adding it would take weeks to plan ceremonies for all students.

"We were not surprised to hear if schools were going to be opened or closed, we were expecting one of those two sides, but the graduation comment did catch us a little bit off guard," said D'Amico on Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron.

"I would say that in our position right now, it's aspirational to have outdoor graduations. Preparing a graduation for 200 to 300 students, even outdoors, requires a great deal of logistical planning."

The Ottawa Carleton District School Board says it needs time to consider the operational and health requirements.

Premier Doug Ford suggests Ontario might be able to enter Step 1 of the Roadmap to Reopen plan earlier than expected.

Ford said he’s waiting for advice from Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams about whether the province can push forward the Step 1 date,  which was originally set to begin on June 14.

"We're doing as well as a province can do," Ford said. "As things are going, we may be able to enter Step 1 safely earlier than June 14th. I know it's very important for people in Ontario to get to step one to get, to step two as soon as it's safe to do so."

Step 1 would allow for outdoor gathering limits to increase to 10 people, the reopening of patios, and non-essential retail to reopen at 15 per cent capacity.

Ottawa Public Health reported 42 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Wednesday, the fifth straight day with double-digit case numbers.

One new death was announced linked to novel coronavirus.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa on March 11, 2020, there have been 27,139 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 572 deaths.

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COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for June 3, 2021 - CTV Edmonton
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