More than 100 new COVID-19 cases in Ottawa for fourth straight day

OTTAWA — Ottawa Public Health says 104 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19, marking the fourth straight day of triple-digit case counts.

One more person in Ottawa with COVID-19 has died.

Provincial health officials reported 3,270 new cases across Ontario on Monday, including 131 in Ottawa, and 29 more deaths linked to the disease.

Figures from the province and from Ottawa Public Health have differed recently, but both show cases trending upwards. On Sunday, OPH reported 184 new cases of COVID-19, a single-day record, as well as rising per capita and viral reproduction rates. However, as of Monday, the total case count for Ottawa from both OPH and the province is the same.

Ottawa Public Health has said they and the province use different databases that pull data at different times and there are slight differences in how data are inputted.

OPH adds that the OPH dashboard reflects data that have been verified by local case management and contact tracing work.

In their daily COVID-19 dashboard update, Ottawa Public Health reported a total of 10,472 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Provincial health authorities also have a total of 10,472 cases in Ottawa.

The death toll from COVID-19 now stands at 393 residents.

The positivity rate for Ottawa has also increased, but the estimated reproduction number--the number of additional people each person with the virus infects--declined slightly in Monday's update. It remains above 1, which suggests the virus is spreading.

OTTAWA'S COVID-19 KEY STATISTICS

A province-wide lockdown went into effect on Dec. 26, 2020.

Ottawa Public Health data:

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

The number of people with active infections of COVID-19 continues to rise in Ottawa. As of Monday's update, there are 789 people in Ottawa with active cases, up from 764 on Sunday.

OPH reported 78 more people have had their cases resolve. Of all COVID-19 cases in Ottawa, 9,290 are considered resolved.

The number of active cases is the number of total laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 minus the numbers of resolved cases and deaths. A case is considered resolved 14 days after known symptom onset or positive test result.

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

The number of people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 increased by two in Monday's update to 14.

There are six people in the intensive care unit.

Of the people in hospital, three are in their 20s, one is in their 50s (this person is in the ICU), four are in their 60s (two in the ICU), four are in their 70s (three in the ICU), and two are in their 80s.

CASES OF COVID-19 BY AGE CATEGORY

Here is a breakdown of all known COVID-19 cases in Ottawa by age category:

The age of one person with COVID-19 in Ottawa that was previously unknown has been assigned to an age category.

TESTING

Public Health Ontario says 39,121 COVID-19 tests were completed across Ontario on Sunday and 19,683 remain under investigation.

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce said Monday afternoon that 947 swabs were taken at assessment centres on Jan. 3 and local labs performed 2,776 COVID-19 tests. There are 329 tests that remain in progress as of Jan. 4.

The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 38 hours.

Ottawa's positivity rate for the week of Dec. 28 to Jan. 3 was 4.2 per cent.

CASES AROUND THE REGION

Public Health Ontario is reporting the following for public health units around eastern Ontario:

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 30 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

Five new outbreaks were declared Monday in long-term care and retirement homes. The Edgewood Care Centre, Laurier Manor, Granite Ridge, Portobello and Valley Stream homes have new outbreaks.

An outbreak at Parkway House has ended. Outbreaks have also ended at Gisele Lalonde, Louis Riel, and Ridgemont schools.

There are ten open community outbreaks.Three new outbreaks were declared on Monday.

Two outbreaks involve construction workplaces, two outbreaks are linked to restaurants, two outbreaks are linked to retail workplaces, one involves a social event at a private setting, one is linked to sports and recreation, one is linked to an office setting, and one is linked to a services workplace.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

The long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and other spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

A single laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 in a resident or staff member of a long-term care home, retirement home or shelter triggers an outbreak response, according to Ottawa Public Health. In childcare settings, a single confirmed, symptomatic case in a staff member, home daycare provider, or child triggers an outbreak.

Under provincial guidelines, a COVID-19 outbreak in a school is defined as two or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in students and/or staff in a school with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the school (including transportation and before or after school care).