COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Aug. 6, 2021 - CTV Edmonton

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

Fast Facts:

• Carleton University makes COVID-19 vaccines mandatory to live in residence, play sports this school year
• Quebec to implement vaccine passport due to rising COVID-19 cases
• Mayor Jim Watson says Ottawa does not have the legal ability to impose a mandatory vaccine policy on municipal workers
• COVID-19 cases in Ottawa back in double-digits on Thursday

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

• New COVID-19 cases: 11 new cases on Thursday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 27,832
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 4.1
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 0.5 per cent (seven day average)
• Reproduction Number: 0.60 (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

Five weeks before classes begin, Carleton University is imposing a mandatory vaccination policy on students for certain activities.

The Ottawa university has announced vaccines will be mandatory for students to live in residence, take a music class or compete for the Ravens in athletics.

Carleton University says unvaccinated students must receive the first dose of COVID-19 by Sept. 10, and the second dose by Oct. 15.

All Carleton University students, staff and faculty must self-declare their COVID-19 vaccination status.  The university does not say how students, staff and faculty will be required to self-declare their COVID-19 vaccination status.

Quebec is set to roll out a vaccine passport following the recent increase in COVID-19 cases.

Premier Francois Legault told reporters that "certain privileges" will be extended to people who are vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

More details about the system will be announced in the coming days.

As the federal government considers making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for federal workers, Mayor Jim Watson says the city of Ottawa does not have the legal power to make vaccines mandatory for municipal employees.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that the government is considering whether to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for employees in federal workplaces and in federally regulated industries such as banking, rail and air travel and Parliament.

Watson says the city of Ottawa's legal department advised him that any mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for municipal employees would need to come from the Ontario government.

"We unfortunately do not have that legal ability at the municipal level to impose those restrictions," said Watson while speaking with reporters Thursday morning.

"On a personal basis, I think it makes just good common sense that people should be encouraged to get the two doses, because we know the two doses are much more effective than the one dose and obviously significantly more effective than no doses at all."

Ottawa Public Health reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday, the highest one-day increase in cases in a month.

Meantime, two new patients have been admitted to hospitals in Ottawa with COVID-19 related illnesses.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa in March 2020, there have been 27,832 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 593 deaths.

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COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Aug. 6, 2021 - CTV Edmonton
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