Resident of Orléans retirement home, spouse, have COVID-19.
OPH says 17 in hospital, seven in intensive care unit.
Seven patients in ICU, most in their 50s and 60s.
Two Hull Hospital workers among 18 COVID-19 patients in Outaouais.
Ottawa Public Health thanks residents for physical distancing, self-isolation but says people must continue in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.
What you should know
As the number of COVID-19 cases in Ontario doubles roughly every four days, Ottawa Public Health is urging everyone to continue to practise physical distancing and self-isolation when required to flatten the curve as much as possible.
As of Friday evening there were 75 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the city, Ottawa Public Health said.
Of the positive cases, 17 are in hospital and seven of those patients are in intensive care. Ottawa Public Health said most patients in the ICU are in their 50s and 60s, and only one patient is over the age of 70.
The city’s medical officer of health Vera Etches said that’s a reminder people of any age can have severe symptoms of the virus, not just the elderly.
“We know that staying home and practising physical distancing or being in self isolation is not easy and we thank you for what you’re doing to help plank the curve,” said Etches in a news conference Friday.
LISTEN: The latest from Vera Etches on COVID-19 in Ottawa
In a news conference conducted by telephone Friday, Vera Etches, with Ottawa Public Health, says health agencies are seeing people from a wide range of age groups falling seriously ill with COVID-19. 0:44
Physical distancing means avoiding non-essential trips out, working from home and cancelling gatherings, even with friends or extended family.
Ottawa Public Health advises residents to only be with members of their own household and stay at least two metres away from everyone else.
Public health officials are also urging anyone who’s had close contact with someone who has travelled outside the country to self-solate for 14 days.
That means staying home for two weeks and asking relatives, friends or neighbours to deliver groceries, medication and other supplies. All deliveries should be left at the door to maintain a two-metre distance.
WATCH: Trudeau on why your choices matter today
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says projections of how serious the COVID-19 pandemic could become in Canada depend on Canadians’ own actions. 1:17
People who feel sick should also self-isolate for 14 days or until 24 hours after their symptoms are gone, whichever is longer.
Many municipalities across Canada have declared states of emergency, including in eastern Ontario.
In Ottawa declaring an emergency allows the city to buy needed equipment and supplies without the usual procurement process, including personal protective equipment, food for the vulnerable and hotel rooms for emergency workers.
Ontario andQuebec have ordered all non-essential businesses to close.
The provinces have opened up non-compliance hotlines or websites for the public to report people who are not following social distancing or isolation rules. 1:56
Sports venues such as fields and courtsare closed to discourage gatherings. City playgrounds, parks facilities and off-leash dog parks are closed. The NCC has closed Gatineau Park along with parking lots at its trails and dog parks in Ottawa’s Greenbelt.
Quebec schools are closed until at least May, while Ontario has launched an e-learning program while its schools remain closed, likely past the initial date of April 6.
WATCH: CBC Ottawa’s Local Daily for Friday, March 27
Lucy van Oldenbarneveld, Adrian Harewood and Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco bring you the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa. 11:19
Public transit authorities are scaling back service because ridership has dropped substantially.
Ottawa residents needing information can still call 311, and all essential services such as garbage and recycling collection, as well as some bylaw services, will continue.
The Montfort and Queensway Carleton hospitals are preparing to open up urgent care centres for COVID-19 patients. More details on that are expected next week.
On Friday Ottawa Public Health announced a resident of an Orléans retirement home is among those in hospital with COVID-19, along with the resident’s spouse. Ottawa Public Health said all other residents at the Promenade retirement home are in isolation, while employees are being monitored for symptoms and are donning personal protective equipment.
The Front Steps: Ottawa photographer brings viral photo project to Rockland
Families in Clarence-Rockland gathered on their porches and driveways in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to have their photos taken from a distance. Photographer Stacey Laviolette was inspired by The Front Steps Project, and used the movement to raise money for the Rockland Help Centre’s food bank. 1:57
Symptoms of COVID-19 range from a very mild, cold-like illness to a severe lung infection. The most common symptoms include fever, fatigue and a dry cough.
They may take up to 14 days to appear, which is why that’s the period of self-isolation.
Older people, those with compromised immune systems and those with underlying medical problems such as high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes are more likely to develop serious illness.
(CBC News)
The coronavirus primarily spreads through droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
The virus can also spread through close, prolonged contact, such as touching or handshaking, and via surfaces such as door handles, mobile phones, tables and light switches if they touch their eyes, nose or mouth before washing their hands.
When to get tested
Ottawa Public Health asks that everyone who is concerned they may have COVID-19 first fill out Ontario’sonline assessment tool.
Unless you have severe symptoms, like shortness of breath, the best course of action is to stay home. Currently Ottawa is prioritizing tests for those who are most in need.
If you have a worsening cough and/or fever and you travelled outside of Canada or been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days, Ottawa Public Health asks that you visit the COVID-19 screening centre at the Brewer Arena.
The centre is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at 151 Brewer Way, off Bronson Avenue near Carleton University. You don’t have to call ahead.
If you meet some of the criteria but don’t have symptoms, you won’t be tested and should self-isolate for 14 days. If you have severe symptoms and cannot manage at home, call 911.
WATCH: More COVID-19 cases in Quebec makes staying home ‘even more important,’ premier says
Quebec Premier François Legault said that with more than 2,000 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the province, it’s even more important for residents to practice physical distancing. 0:42
In western Quebec:
Gatineau’s downtown assessment location is at 135 blvd. Saint-Raymond.
Outaouais resident should call the regional help line at 819-644-4545 if they have a cough or fever, whether they’ve travelled or not.
If your symptoms require a trip to the emergency room, call ahead if your condition allows to let them know your travel history.
Kingston, Ont.
The assessment centre in Kingston is now at the Kingston Memorial Centre at 303 York St. It is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
If you develop mild to moderate symptoms after travelling, either contact your health-care provider or go to the test site.
Kingston’s public health unit says to check its website for information, and call Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000 with any remaining questions.
Other communities
The public health unit in the Belleville, Ont., area is asking people only call it at 613-966-5500 if they’ve checked the website and still have questions.
The same advice goes for Leeds, Grenville and Lanark‘s unit at 1-800-660-5853 extension 2499.
It opened a testing site by referral only at the Brockville Memorial Centre at 100 Magedoma Blvd. that’s open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Referrals can come from a family doctor or the public health unit and will only be given to the sick and people who have left the country or been in close contact with a suspected or confirmed case.
Hawkesbury, Ont., has an assessment centre at 750 Laurier St. open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Like Ottawa, only go there if you have new or worsening symptoms and have travelled or been in contact with a confirmed case. Go to CHEO if you’re looking after an infant younger than six months old that fits this description.
Self-isolate if you have mild symptoms, go to the hospital if your symptoms are severe.
Only people older than age 70, who have chronic health problems or compromised immune systems can call 613-933-1375 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to ask about a home visit from paramedics.
Renfrew County is providing home testing under some circumstances.
Its public health unit says people who have symptoms or have been in close contact with a confirmed case should usethe province’s self-assessment tool.
Call Telehealth, their health care provider or it at 613-735-8654 if they still have more questions.
Anyone who doesn’t have or can’t reach a family doctor can call its new primary care centre at 1-844-727-6404 if they have questions about their health.
The province says it’s doubling its testing capacity by the end of the week and nearly quadrupling that by mid-April.
In the Outaouais, the local health agency is calling anyone whose tests take more than a week to get back to them.
First Nations communities
The Mohawk communities of Akwesasne and Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) have declared a state of emergency to prepare for possible cases.
Anyone in MBQ who has symptoms can call 613-967-3603 to talk to a nurse. A home test may be possible after that.
In Akwesasne, community members are asked to carry their status cards when crossing the Canada-U.S. border for essential trips.
The Algonquin communities of Kitigan Zibi and Pikwakanagan have scaled back non-essential services and are asking residents to follow public health advice.
Pikwakanagan’s election on Saturday, March 28is going ahead, with members strongly encouraged to vote remotely.
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.
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