COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for April 3, 2021

Cars drive along the highway as a sign reminds drivers to stay vigilant about the COVID-19 virus in Ottawa, Friday, March 27, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

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

Fast Facts:

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

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:

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

Saturday, April 3

Sunday, April 4

Monday, April 5

Vaccine eligibility screening tool:

To check and see if you are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Ottawa, click here.

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

One month shutdown begins in Ottawa and across Ontario

A four-week, province-wide shutdown begins in Ottawa and across Ontario today.

The Ontario government imposed the province-wide "emergency brake" at 12:01 a.m., as a result of an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Under the rules, indoor gatherings are prohibited, while outdoor gatherings are capped at a maximum of five people.   Indoor and patio dining at bars and restaurants is prohibited, while gyms, fitness centres and personal care services must close.

"We put our citizens through a lot. We're travelling down a road where we don't really have a roadmap, we haven't dealt with a pandemic and obviously there's been a lot of challenges on some of the fronts," said Mayor Jim Watson during an interview on CTV News at Six.

"We're a resilient group of people here in the nation's capital, I have great confidence they will respect the rules so that we can get rid of this lockdown in four weeks, and quite frankly start to live a little bit with a better summer and better fall of this year."

175 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on the eve of new Ontario shutdown

Ottawa Public Health reported 175 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, the ninth straight day with triple-digit COVID-19 case numbers.

No new deaths linked to the virus were announced.

Since the first case of COVID-19 on March 11, 2020, there have been 17,585 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 466 deaths.

Ottawa's COVID-19 positivity rate increased to 6.5 per cent for the previous seven days. The COVID-19 incidence rate jumped to 97.2 cases per 100,000, up from 92.3 cases.

Ottawa will receive 89,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine over the next two weeks, opens new appointments for residents 70 and older

The city of Ottawa has opened more appointment slots for residents aged 70 and older to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a statement Friday morning, the city said it has confirmed delivery of additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and is able to offer more vaccination appointments to eligible residents.

"We're received, for the next two weeks, a little over 89,000 doses for our community clinics in the various communities, that's very good news," said Watson in an interview with CTV News at Six anchor Christina Succi on Friday.

To book an appointment, you can visit Ontario's online booking system or call the provincial vaccine booking line at 1-833-943-3900 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., seven days a week.

Gatineau retailers react to first day of lockdown

A record 143 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Outaouais on Friday, the first full day for new restrictions in the region.

The Outaouais has seen 7,803 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, with the majority of the cases in Gatineau.

"It certainly is concerning," said Dr. Matthew Oughton, Assistant Professor of Medicine at McGill University and infectious disease physician.

"This surge in cases seems to be driven by these more transmissible variants and these variants are more infectious," he added.

For local retailers, the shutdown comes at an inopportune time.

"Last year, in April, we lost 30 to 40 per cent of our business, easily. I think this year it will be even worse because there’s more people running, more people into it, so I think it’s going to affect us a little more," said Alain Poirier, owner of La Foulée Sportif.

The Outaouais moved into the Level 4-Maximum Alert red zone at 8 p.m. Thursday, while the Quebec government has imposed a 10-day lockdown on Gatineau and the MRC des-Collines-de-l'Outaouais due to rising COVID-19 cases.