COVID-19 cases tick back up in Ottawa, hospitals remain free of infections

Ottawa Public Health is reporting a general increase in COVID-19 cases this week while other key indicators in the pandemic remain steady.

The local public health unit added nine new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the highest single-day increase in more than three weeks.

The number of active cases of the virus rose to 34 in the latest report.

Ottawa’s reproduction number, or R value, which refers to the seven-day average number of secondary infections related to a typical COVID-19 case, continued to rise to an estimated 1.18 as of Thursday. R values of greater than one suggest the spread of the virus is accelerating rather than slowing.

OPH reported no new deaths related to COVID-19 on Thursday, however, and the city continues to see zero outbreaks or patients in the hospital related to the virus.

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Ottawa’s state of emergency under the COVID-19 pandemic ended on Thursday at 12:01 a.m.

The city’s emergency operations centre has shifted into “activated operations,” one level below the emergency status, allowing city staff to retain some flexibility in responding to the pandemic.

2:46 COVID-19 vaccine certificates could speed up reopening: Ontario science table