Ottawa Public Health says 387 more people in the city have tested positive for COVID-19, setting a new one-day record for cases.
The previous record was 370 cases in a single day, set on April 11, 2021.
To date, OPH has recorded 35,320 total lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa since the pandemic began. No new deaths were reported on Wednesday, keeping the death toll steady at 620 residents.
The city’s seven-day average is 285.6, up from 119.0 at this time last week. At this time four weeks ago, the seven-day average for cases was 34.4.
Hospitalizations remain low at this time and there are no COVID-19 patients in intensive care in Ottawa. Experts say hospitalizations are a lagging indicator and don’t increase until several days or weeks after case counts do.
There are six people in hospital, according to OPH, including a child under 10.
Across the province, health officials confirmed another 4,383 cases of COVID-19. Nine more Ontarians have died due to COVID-19 and 1,787 previously reported cases are now considered resolved.
Ontario’s rolling seven-day average now stands at 3,520, up from 1,514 at this point last week and up from 940 two weeks ago. The province’s test positivity rate is 10.7 per cent, the highest since April.
OTTAWA’S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (Dec 14 to Dec. 20): 192.7 (up from 170.4)
- Positivity rate in Ottawa (Dec. 15 to Dec. 21): 10.5 per cent (up fom 8.7 per cent)
- Reproduction number (Seven day average): 1.44
Reproduction values greater than 1 indicate the virus is spreading and each case infects more than one contact. If it is less than 1, it means spread is slowing.
CASES BY VACCINATION IN ONTARIO
- New cases among unvaccinated residents: 746 (26.60 per 100,000)
- New cases among partially vaccinated residents: 172 (28.15 per 100,000)
- New cases among fully vaccinated residents: 3,243 (28.65 per 100,000)
- Number of unvaccinated individuals in Ontario hospitals: 137
- Number of partially vaccinated people in Ontario hospitals: 13
- Number of fully vaccinated individuals in Ontario hospitals: 109
- Number of unvaccinated people in Ontario ICUs: 83
- Number of partially vaccinated people in Ontario ICUs: 3
- Number of fully vaccinated people in Ontario ICUs: 36
(n.b. The rate per 100,000 population is used to compare the total populations of unvaccinated individuals, partially vaccinated, and fully vaccinated individuals against each other, as their respective populations are different. There are more fully vaccinated people in Ontario than there are unvaccinated people in Ontario, so a calculation dividing new cases by the respective populations and then multiplying that figure by 100,000 is used as a comparative measure. Rates per 100,000 are published daily by the Ontario government.)
ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA
There are 2,435 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Wednesday, up from 2,147 on Tuesday.
Ottawa Public Health reported 99 newly resolved cases of COVID-19. The total number of resolved cases of coronavirus in Ottawa is 32,265.
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
There are six people in Ottawa area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses on Wednesday, unchanged from Tuesday.
There have been no patients in Ottawa’s ICUs since Dec. 10.
Age categories of people in hospital:
- 0-9: 1
- 10-19: 0
- 20-29: 1
- 30-39: 0
- 40-49: 0
- 50-59: 0
- 60-69: 0
- 70-79: 2
- 80-89: 2
- 90+: 0
(Ottawa Public Health is now reporting people in hospital with an “active” infection)
COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY
- 0-9 years old: 41 new cases (3,563 total cases)
- 10-19 years-old: 71 new cases (4,831 total cases)
- 20-29 years-old: 95 new cases (7,719 total cases)
- 30-39 years-old: 59 new cases (5,469 total cases)
- 40-49 years-old: 42 new cases (4,659 total cases)
- 50-59 years-old: 50 new cases (4,019 total cases)
- 60-69-years-old: 19 new cases (2,311 total cases)
- 70-79 years-old: Seven new cases (1,258 total cases)
- 80-89 years-old: Two new cases (932 total cases)
- 90+ years old: One new case (556 total cases)
- Unknown: Zero new cases (3 cases total)
VARIANTS OF CONCERN
- Total Alpha (B.1.1.7) cases: 6,850
- Total Beta (B.1.351) cases: 513
- Total Gamma (P.1) cases: 55
- Total Delta (B.1.617.2) cases: 1,653
- Total Omicron (B.1.1.529) cases: 99
- Total variants of concern/mutation cases: 13,769
- Deaths linked to variants/mutations: 124
*OPH notes that that VOC and mutation trends must be treated with caution due to the varying time required to complete VOC testing and/or genomic analysis following the initial positive test for SARS-CoV-2. Test results may be completed in batches and data corrections or updates can result in changes to case counts that may differ from past reports.
COVID-19 TESTING IN OTTAWA
The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce says 3,634 swabs were processed at assessment centres on Monday and labs performed 3,722 tests.
The average turnaround from the time a swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 36 hours.
Ottawa’s testing positivity rate for the week of Dec. 13-19 is 8.7 per cent.
CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION
- Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 24 new cases
- Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 67 new cases
- Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 103 new cases
- Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 30 new cases
- Renfrew County and District Health Unit: Five new cases
- Outaouais: 185 new cases
COVID-19 OUTBREAKS
Ottawa Public Health reports COVID-19 outbreaks at institutions and community outbreaks in Ottawa.
Community outbreaks:
- Multi-unit dwelling: One outbreak
- Sports & Recreation– Recreation: Two outbreaks (one new)
- Workplace – Construction: Two outbreaks
- Workplace – Corporate/Office: One outbreak
- Workplace – Recreation: One outbreak
- Workplace – Restaurant: Two outbreaks (onew new)
- Workplace – Retail: Three outbreaks
Schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks:
- École élémentaire catholique St. François d’Assise (Nov. 24)
- École élémentaire catholique Elisabeth-Bruyère (Dec. 1)
- Mifo Notre-Dame-Des-Champs – Service Garde Agrees Centre ( Dec. 2)
- Featherston Drive Public School (Dec. 6)
- École élémentaire catholique Saint-Jean-Paul II (Dec. 7)
- Osgoode Township High School (Dec. 7)
- Grandir Ensemble Services de Garde Agréés en Centre (Dec. 9)
- Imagination Station Licenced Child Care (Dec. 10)
- Jockvale Elementary School (Dec. 10)
- École secondaire publique Pierre-de-Blois (Dec. 11)
- Holy Spirit Elementary School (Dec. 11)
- Pleasant Park Public School (Dec. 12)
- St. Gabriel Elementary School (Dec. 12)
- École élémentaire catholique d’enseignment personnalisé La Source (Dec. 13)
- Glebe Collegiate Institute (Dec. 13)
- École élémentaire catholique Pierre Elliott Trudeau (Dec. 14)
- Georges Vanier Catholic Elementary School (Dec. 14)
- Knoxdale Public School (Dec. 14)
- Sacred Heart High School (Dec. 14)
- St. Gregory Elementary School (Dec. 14) NEW
- École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité (Dec. 15)
- Ottawa Forest & Nature Licenced Childcare (Dec. 15)
- St. Peter High School (Dec. 15)
- St. John XXIII Elementary School (Dec. 15)
- Torah Academy of Ottawa Elementary School (Dec. 16)
- Garderie Providence Services de Garde Agréés en Centre (Dec. 16) NEW
- Merivale High School (Dec. 16)
- Sir Wilfrid Laurier Seconday School (Dec. 16)
- École élémentaire catholique Alain Fortin (Dec. 17)
- École élémentaire catholique d’enseignment personnalisé Édouard Bond (Dec. 17)
- École élémentaire catholique Montfort (Dec. 17)
- St. Patrick Elementary School (Dec. 17)
- Mothercraft Licenced Home Childcare (Dec. 18)
- École élémentaire catholique Sainte-Geneviève (Dec. 20)
Healthcare and congregate settings experiencing outbreaks:
- St. Patrick’s Home – Floors 3, 4, 5 (Nov. 17)
- Group Home (Dec. 6)
- Group Home (Dec. 7)
- Granite Ridge Long-term Care Home – Memory Care Unit (Dec. 14)
- Extendicare Starwood – Unit 2 (Dec. 19)
- The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus – Unit A3 (Dec. 19)
