Ottawa continues to post triple-digit increases in its COVID-19 case count to start 2021, with the local public health unit reporting 104 new coronavirus cases on Monday.
The latest report comes after Ottawa set a new single-day record of 184 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, following 133 new cases on Saturday. The nation’s capital surpassed 10,000 total COVID-19 cases with an additional 122 cases on Friday, the first day of the new year.
The total number of people to have tested positive locally now stands at 10,472, according to Ottawa Public Health. Of those cases, 789 are considered active, up from 764 the day before.
OPH also reported one new death related to COVID-19, raising the city’s death toll from the pandemic to 393.
Ottawa’s efforts to flatten the COVID-19 curve had been bearing fruit before the holidays — prompting complaints from some about being included in the 28-day province-wide lockdown that started Dec. 26 — but the levels of the virus have surged locally in the past two weeks.
The percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive is up to 4.2 per cent compared to a low of 1.3 per cent in the week leading up to Christmas.
Researchers tracking the coronavirus in the city’s wastewater system are also reporting spikes approaching the viral levels seen in October during Ottawa’s last major wave.
There are currently 16 people in local hospitals with COVID-19, with six of them in the intensive care unit. OPH’s COVID-19 dashboard shows 89 per cent of acute care beds are currently occupied in the city, as are 77 per cent of ICU beds.
The number of coronavirus outbreaks in Ottawa is also spiking, with eight new outbreaks added as of Monday. There are currently 42 ongoing outbreaks in Ottawa, 14 of which are affecting long-term care homes.
Comments