COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for July 31, 2021 - CTV Edmonton

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

Fast Facts:

• Masks will remain mandatory in Ontario when province lifts restrictions after Step 3
• Ottawa sees highest COVID-19 daily case count in 26 days
• Canada is heading towards a 'Delta-driven' fourth wave, Tam says

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

• New COVID-19 cases: 10 new cases on Friday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 27,811
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 3.5
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 0.5 per cent (seven day average)
• Reproduction Number: 1.12 (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 are a patient and/or their 1 accompanying escort tra­velling out of country for medical treatment;
• 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.

Long-term care staff, caregivers, volunteers and visitors who are fully immunized against COVID-19 are not required to present a negative COVID-19 test before entering or visiting a long-term care home.

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 2 p.m.
• The Moodie Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 
• The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• 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 summer camp children and staff. All campers and staff must complete the COVID-19 School and Childcare screening tool daily.

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

The Ontario government has outlined what restrictions will look like once the province exits the three step Roadmap to Reopen plan.

“Upon exiting the Roadmap, the vast majority of public health measures, including capacity limits, will be lifted. Only a small number of measures will remain in place, including the requirement for passive screening, such as posting a sign, and businesses requiring a safety plan,” a spokesperson for Health Minister Christine Elliott said Friday.

Face coverings and masks will be required in indoor public settings due to the risk of the Delta variant, said the province.

On Thursday, medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches said she recommended masks remain mandatory in Ontario into the fall.

Ottawa Public Health reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, the first time Ottawa has seen a double-digit daily case increase in more than three weeks.

No new deaths were reported in Ottawa.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa in March 2020, there have been 27,811 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 593 deaths.

The last time Ottawa Public Health reported double-digit case numbers on a single day was on July 4, when 14 cases were reported.

New national modelling data released on Friday shows Canada is headed towards a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, but how severe of a resurgence it'll be depends on how many people are fully vaccinated.

“The updated longer-range forecast shows how the epidemic trajectory may evolve through early September," said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer.

"It suggests that we are at the start of the Delta-driven fourth wave, but that the trajectory will depend on ongoing increases in fully vaccinated coverage, and the timing, pace and extent of reopening."

After weeks of sustained decline in new cases, the Public Health Agency of Canada is warning that if community-wide contact rates increase too quickly with ongoing reopening efforts, the long-term forecast indicates Canada could experience a “stronger resurgence” of the virus.

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COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for July 31, 2021 - CTV Edmonton
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