Ottawa’s coronavirus case count continues to climb as the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps through the province.
Ottawa Public Health reported 81 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, following increases of 86 cases on Sunday and 107 cases on Saturday.
There have now been 16,188 cases of the novel coronavirus locally since the start of the pandemic with 759 of those cases now considered active.
Two additional people have died in connection with COVID-19 in Ottawa, raising the city’s coronavirus death toll to 456.
Ottawa’s COVID-19 indicators continue to climb after the city entered the red zone on Ontario’s reopening framework last Friday.
The city’s incidence rate now shows 55 cases per 100,000 people in the past week while the coronavirus positivity rate in Ottawa is up to 3.9 per cent.
There is no hard cutoff for a region to enter Ontario’s grey-lockdown zone, but a health unit could enter those tighter restrictions if red zone restrictions fail to curb COVID-19 levels, if hospital capacities are overwhelmed and if coronavirus outbreaks affecting vulnerable populations continue to rise.
Health officials usually monitor shifts to new colour-coded zones for a period of two weeks before determining if the measures are working or if tighter restrictions are warranted.
There are currently 24 people in hospital with COVID-19, four of whom are in the intensive care unit.
OPH’s COVID-19 dashboard now shows 38 ongoing coronavirus outbreaks including a new one at École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité, where three students have tested positive for the virus.
An outbreak that has stretched for more than a month at The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus is now connected to 42 COVID-19 cases and eight patient deaths.
Ottawa finished providing a second round of COVID-19 vaccinations in retirement homes over the weekend, marking a significant milestone in protecting older adults in the nation’s capital.
The city has so far administered 92,273 vaccine doses out of the 97,170 doses it has received thus far.
All Ontario residents aged 75 and older can book vaccination appointments as of Monday via the provincial portal.
Ottawa will open two additional community vaccination clinics at Ottawa City Hall and the Eva James Memorial Community Centre in Kanata on Tuesday.
The city also plans to open pop-up clinics for rural residents in the following locations:
- Greely Community Centre
- Navan Memorial Centre
- Osgoode Community Centre
- R.J. Kennedy Memorial Centre
- Richmond Memorial Arena and Community Centre
- West Carleton Community Complex
Residents of Ottawa who are eligible to receive the vaccine as of Monday and who live in West Carleton-March, Osgoode, Cumberland or Rideau-Goulbourn wards can call 613-691-5505 to book an appointment.
The city asks residents to use the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility screening tool to ensure they meet the requirements to book a vaccine.
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