No new cases of the B.1.1.7 or B.1.351 variants were confirmed on Wednesday, but the province reported nine new cases with mutations detected. To date, Ottawa has seen 21 confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, two cases of the B.1.351 variant, and 343 cases with a mutation detected.
The number of people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 rose slightly on Wednesday, but the number of active cases fell slightly, driven by a higher number of newly resolved cases. The city also reported a major jump in the number of vaccine doses administered and delivered.
The city’s incidence rate of new cases has held steady at around 55 per 100,000 population since Monday, but OPH says the testing positivity rate is now above 4 per cent.
OTTAWA’S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS
Ottawa is in “Red-Control” status under Ontario’s COVID-19 framework.
Ottawa Public Health data:
COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (March 16-22): 55.1
Positivity rate in Ottawa: 4.2 per cent (March 17-23)
Reproduction number: 1.02 (seven day average)
Reproduction values greater than 1 indicate the virus is spreading and each case infects more than one contact. If it is less than 1, it means spread is slowing.
The red-control threshold is a weekly incidence rate of 40 or more cases per 100,000 people and a positivity rate of 2.5 per cent or higher and a reproduction number of 1.2 or more.
The orange-restrict category of Ontario’s COVID-19 framework includes a weekly rate of cases per 100,000 between 25 to 39.9, a percent positivity of 1.3 to 2.4 per cent, and a reproduction number of approximately 1 to 1.1.
VACCINES IN OTTAWA
As of March 24:
Vaccine doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 99,886 (up by 7,593 since Monday)*
COVID-19 doses received (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna): 133,440
OPH says the city received a shipment of 36,270 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on March 22.
*OPH says staff were able to extract additional doses out of several vials, which were given to residents. In a statement on its dashboard, OPH said, “Vaccine inventory is based on an expected 5 dose per vial supply. Occasionally, an additional dose (6th dose) is successfully extracted and administered to clients.”
HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA
There are 27 people currently in Ottawa-area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses, up from from 25 on Monday. Six people are in intensive care, up from four.
Of the people in hospital, three are in their 30s, two are in their 40s, five are in their 50s (two are in the ICU), four are in their 60s (one is in the ICU), eight are in their 70s (three in the ICU), four are in their 80s and one is 90 or older.
ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA
The number of people with known active cases of COVID-19 fell slightly on Tuesday to 747 from 755 on Tuesday.
Eighty-eight more Ottawa residents have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 15,0128 resolved cases of COVID-19 in the capital.
The number of active cases is the number of total cases of COVID-19 minus the numbers of resolved cases and deaths. A case is considered resolved 14 days after known symptom onset or positive test result.
COVID-19 TESTING
Ontario health officials say 51,962 COVID-19 tests were completed provincewide on Tuesday.
The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce will provide updated local testing numbers this afternoon.
COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY
0-9 years old: Nine new cases (1,253 total cases)
10-19 years-old: 17 new cases (2,061 total cases)
20-29 years-old: 13 new cases (3,563 total cases)
30-39 years-old: 13 new cases (2,322 total cases)
40-49 years-old: 12 new cases (2,099 total cases)
50-59 years-old: 7 new cases (1,961 total cases)
60-69-years-old: 4 new cases (1,172 total cases)
70-79 years-old: 4 new cases (707 total cases)
80-89 years-old: 1 new case (720 total cases)
90+ years old: 0 new cases (471 total cases)
Unknown: 0 new cases (3 cases total)
COVID-19 CASES ACROSS THE REGION
Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 20 new cases
Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington: 6 new cases
Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: 20 new cases
Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 2 new cases
Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 64 new cases
INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS
Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 37 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.
One new outbreak was declared at an independent living home while the outbreak at the Medex long-term care home has ended.
There are four active community outbreaks: One is linked to a warehouse, one is linked to a construction workplace, and one is linked to a health workplace, and one is linked to a restaurant.
The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
Rodnichok Daycare (March 1)
École élémentaire catholique Riverside South II (March 12)
École secondaire catholique Pierre Savard (March 13)
The long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and other spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
Shelter (Jan. 26)
The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (Feb. 19)
Extendicare Laurier Manor LTCH (Feb. 25)
Madonna Care Community (Feb. 26)
Sarsfield Colonial Home (Feb. 27)
Group Home (March 3)
Perley-Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre – Gatineau Building (March 4)
St. Vincent Hospital (March 6)
Peter D. Clark LTCH (March 10)
Group Home (March 11)
Lord Lansdowne RH (March 11)
Amica Westboro Park RH (March 12)
University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 12)
Chapel Hill RH (March 13)
The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (March 13)
St. Patrick’s Home (March 14)
Osgoode Care Centre (March 15)
St. Vincent Hospital (March 15)
Carlingview Manor (March 16)
University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 16)
Elisabeth Bruyere Hospital (March 18)
Portobello Retirement Residence (March 18)
Extendicare West End Villa (March 19)
University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 21)
Supported Independent Living (March 23) [NEW]
A single laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 in a resident or staff member of a long-term care home, retirement home or shelter triggers an outbreak response, according to Ottawa Public Health. In childcare settings, two children or staff or household member cases of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 within a 14-day period where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the childcare establishment is considered an outbreak in a childcare establishment.
Under provincial guidelines, a COVID-19 outbreak in a school is defined as two or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in students and/or staff in a school with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the school (including transportation and before or after school care).
Two staff or patient cases of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 within a specified hospital unit within a 14-day period where both cases could have reasonably acquired their infection in hospital is considered an outbreak in a public hospital.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
