Ottawa Public Health reported 64 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, a dip compared to the record-setting increase the day before.
Two additional people have also died in relation to COVID-19 in Ottawa since Tuesday, the OPH dashboard showed.
There are currently 685 active cases of the virus in Ottawa, a slight bump from the day before.
Ontario added 625 total coronavirus cases on Wednesday as new modelling showed the province could see 1,000 cases per day in the first half of October.
Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said nearly 35,800 tests have been processed since Tuesday, but there’s currently a backlog of 67,126 tests still awaiting results.
Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s medical officer of health, said Wednesday that current trends could see the nation’s capital reporting upwards of 200 cases per day in October if swift action is not taken to flatten the curve locally.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said Tuesday that residents should consider limiting their close contacts to only those within their households in order to flatten the city’s second wave of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Etches echoed Watson’s calls on Wednesday and asked residents to only make exceptions outside of their households for one or two essential contacts based on your family’s needs.
She also called on residents to only host Thanksgiving dinners within their own household.
OPH released an infographic Wednesday hoping to show where COVID-19 transmission is actually occurring.
While the majority of transmission comes from close contacts within a household, OPH says the virus is being introduced into homes from a variety of locales based on non-distanced social contact between individuals.
Transmission can occur when individuals dine at a restaurant with people outside their household bubble, for example, though OPH is not finding many instances of staff members in these locations passing it on to customers.
Etches gave credit to businesses in Ottawa implementing precautions to keep customers safe, but noted that some residents don’t take that same responsibility seriously when determining their own social behaviours.
“Businesses are working hard to make things as safe as possible,” she said.
“In contrast, we don’t take that kind of precaution ourselves.”
For those going out to bars or restaurants, OPH recommends only dining with people who are within your household bubble. Socialization with others should be done outdoors, at a distance and/or while wearing masks.
Nineteen people in Ottawa are currently in hospital with COVID-19, three of whom are in the intensive care unit.
Eight new coronavirus outbreaks have been declared in Ottawa, raising the total number of ongoing outbreaks to 49 across the city’s long-term care facilities, retirement homes, shelters, hospitals, schools, daycares and workplaces.
Fifteen residents have died and more than 100 people have tested positive for the virus in connection with an ongoing outbreak at the West End Villa long-term care home.
Nine schools in Ottawa are currently facing coronavirus outbreaks, with no new outbreaks declared on Wednesday.
Tuesday saw Ottawa add 105 new coronavirus cases, surpassing the record for the highest daily increase set just a week previous.
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