COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Sept. 26, 2021 - Newstalk 1010 (iHeartRadio)

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

Fast Facts:

• Ottawa parents calling for rapid COVID-19 testing access for children
• Ottawa businesses, customers adjust to new COVID-19 vaccine passport
• COVID-19 hospitalizations in Ottawa up slightly on Saturday

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

• New COVID-19 cases: 50 cases on Saturday
• Total COVID-19 cases: 29,591
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 37.9
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 2.7 per cent (seven-day average)
• Reproduction Number: 0.98 (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

• Temporary Pop-Up Testing COVID-19 Assessment at McNabb Arena on Percy Street: Open daily until Sept. 29 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• 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 5:30 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. Sunday, Sept. 26 from 8 a.m. to 4 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 schools in Ottawa and eastern Ontario. All students, teachers and school staff must complete the COVID-19 School 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

A small group of Ottawa parents are calling on the Ontario government to improve access to rapid antigen testing for children.

"We think it would make a tremendous amount of sense to channel the rapid tests that the province already has towards that group of people where you’re mostly likely to find asymptomatic people and stop outbreaks before they happen," said Regina Bateson, a mother of three.  

Currently, the tests are made available by the province to businesses and are used as a way to ensure unvaccinated employees can continue to work. 

The CHEO COVID-19 testing clinic began offering do-it-yourself testing options for parents at the Brewer Arena Clinic, while more than 120 schools in Ottawa currently offer take home tests for children and staff with symptoms.

Ottawa businesses are reporting no issues so far during the opening few days of Ontario's COVID-19 vaccination passport.

Residents 12 and older must provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination to access non-essential businesses, including dine-in at restaurants, gyms, movie theatres, concerts and sporting events.

At Zak's Diner in the ByWard Market, staff remained optimistic customers will adjust to the new rules.

"It's gone really smooth so far, we've found that a lot people are ready and eager, they have their passports ready at the door. There's the occasional bad apple that's just against it for whatever reason," said Roger McKee, General Manager of Zak's Diner.

At Zak's proof of vaccination and government-issued identification is checked at the door along with information for contact tracing.

"It slows down the door a tiny bit, but it's nothing noticeable. It's not like we're seeing an empty table and a full lineup outside," said McKee.

Drew Dobson, owner of Finnigan's Pub in Vanier, said on Saturday that most customers have been respectful of the new rules so far.

"We are turning some people away but most people know if they haven't been vaccinated they don't even try," Dobson said in an interview on Newstalk 580 CFRA's "CFRA Live with Andrew Pinsent". "The first day, we had a couple of people who chose to voice their opinions with their server, but she just sent them on their way."

Ottawa Public Health reported 50 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Saturday, as hospitalizations continued to rise.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ottawa in March 2020, there have been 29,591 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 595 deaths.

Public health reported 14 people in Ottawa area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses on Saturday, up from 12 on Friday. There are seven people in intensive care units.

  COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
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COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Sept. 26, 2021 - Newstalk 1010 (iHeartRadio)
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