Ottawa Public Health (OPH) reported 41 cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday, a relative dip to end what’s been a week of record highs for new daily infections.
There were no new deaths related to COVID-19 in Ottawa reported Friday, according to the local public health unit.
The latest daily increase follows increases of 93 cases on Tuesday and 82 cases on Thursday, Ottawa’s two highest single-day totals since the start of the pandemic.
Ottawa has now seen 3,960 cases of the novel coronavirus since the pandemic began.
OPH’s COVID-19 dashboard shows 551 active cases of the virus, down from the 587 reported on Thursday.
Thirteen people in Ottawa are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — one fewer than the day before. Three people with COVID-19 are in the local intensive care unit.
Two students have tested positive for the virus at both the École secondaire publique Louis-Riel and the École élémentaire publique Séraphin-Marion, prompting OPH to declare outbreaks at the two sites.
There are now seven ongoing outbreaks in local Ottawa schools.
The outbreak at Fellowes High School in nearby Pembroke, Ont., however, will be declared officially resolved on Saturday, officials said Friday. The school will reopen for in-class instruction on Monday.
In total, four staff members, one student and four family members associated with the school community tested positive for the virus in relation to the outbreak at Fellowes, forcing the school to shut down on Sept. 16.
The most recent outbreak at the Madonna Care Community long-term care home in Ottawa was also declared over after just one staff member tested positive for the virus.
The Ottawa Hospital has stepped in to manage patient care in two other long-term care homes currently facing outbreaks, the Ministry of Long-Term Care announced Friday.
The West End Villa and Laurier Manor, both owned by Extendicare, are being run by staff from the Ottawa Hospital for a period of roughly three months as of Sept. 18. The management support is voluntary, according to a provincial release, and may be extended beyond 90 days as needed.
OPH reports that 87 people at West End Villa have tested positive for the virus with 11 deaths related to COVID-19 since Aug. 30, while Laurier Manor has seen 19 cases in its most recent outbreak but no deaths. An earlier outbreak at Laurier Manor in the spring saw 25 people die in connection to COVID-19.
There are currently 35 ongoing coronavirus outbreaks in Ottawa, according to OPH.