Record 183 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday

'The writing is on the wall' Infectious disease expert Dr. Abdu Sharkawy says individual action is needed now, as Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations increase.

OTTAWA — On the eve of the Thanksgiving long-weekend, Ottawa and Ontario have set single-day records for new COVID-19 cases.

Ottawa Public Health reported 183 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday, the highest one-day increase in new cases of novel coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.

One new death was also reported in Ottawa.

Since the first case of COVID-19 on March 11, there have been 5,153 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 296 deaths.

Ontario's Ministry of Health reported 182 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday, while Ottawa Public Health reported 183 cases. There can be a discrepancy in case numbers due to reporting times between the two agencies.

The 183 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa sets a record for highest one-day increase in new cases. The previous record was 142 new cases of COVID-19 on Oct. 2.

Ontario reported 797 new cases across the province on Thursday, breaking the previous high of 732 new cases reported on Oct. 2. There are 265 new cases in Toronto, 134 in Peel Region and 78 in York Region.

Last week, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches warned Ottawa could see 200 new cases of COVID-19 a day by mid-October.

"We don't want to go there, it doesn't have to be. It really is up to us and we have done it before," said Dr. Etches.

"The people of Ottawa know what to do, so I'm hoping our actions today will actually show some progress by mid-October. That's enough time to see that limiting the contacts right now can start to slow things down."

On Friday, Dr. Etches warned Ottawa's health care system was in crisis due to rising cases of COVID-19.

Hospitalizations linked to COVID-19

Ottawa Public Health reports 32 people were in an Ottawa hospital with a COVID-19 related illness on Thursday, up from 28 people on Wednesday.

There are currently seven people in the intensive care unit with COVID-19 related illnesses.

Active cases of COVID-19

There are 879 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday, up from 810 active cases on Wednesday.

The daily report shows 113 more people have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. A total of 3,978 cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa are considered resolved.

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

Cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa by age category

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

·         0-9 years old: 19 new case (313 cases total)

·         10-19 years-old: 19 new cases (495 cases total)

·         20-29 years-old: 45 new cases (1,127 cases total)

·         30-39 years-old: 28 new cases (705 cases total)

·         40-49 years-old: 31 new cases (647 cases total)

·         50-59 years-old: 24 new cases (592 cases total)

·         60-69-years-old: Eight new cases (416 cases total)

·         70-79 years-old: Six new cases (280 cases total)

·         80-89 years-old: One new cases (338 cases total)

·         90+ years old: Two new cases (235 cases total)

The ages of five cases are still unknown.

COVID-19 cases around the region

Six new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit's region on Thursday. On Tuesday, 13 new cases were reported, followed by five cases on Wednesday.

One new case was reported by Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health.

The Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Heath Unit reported no new cases in its region.

The Renfrew County and District Health Unit reported one new case.

In Quebec, 32 new cases were reported in the Outaouais region, which includes Gatineau. On Tuesday, officials reported a record 66 new cases of COVID-19 in west Quebec, and 49 new cases were reported on Wednesday.

Institutional Outbreaks

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 64 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

A new COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at Ecole secondaire Catholique Garneau, Ecole elementaire Publqiue Louis-Riel, Ecole elementaire Catholique Sainte-Marie and Berrigan Public School. A new outbreak was also declared at Andrew Fleck's Children's Services – Childcare program.

COVID-19 outbreaks have been declared over at Wee Watch Orleans – Home Child Care, Lycee Claudel private school, Grandir Ensemble – Edouard Bond and Children's Village of Ottawa Carleton – home daycare.

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).