OTTAWA —
COVID-19 trends in Ottawa continue to show improvement following a lower case count on Sunday.
Ottawa Public Health reported 76 more people in the city have tested positive for COVID-19, a lower figure than the 92 new cases reported on Saturday.
The number of active cases continues to fall, as does the weekly per capita rate.
OPH also reported no new deaths in Ottawa for the first time since Jan. 16. There were 17 COVID-19 related deaths reported in Ottawa from Jan. 17 to Jan. 23.
In all, 419 residents of Ottawa have died since the start of the pandemic.
Ontario health officials are reporting 99 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Sunday, but the gap between the two health authorities is closing.
Figures from OPH and the province often differ due to different data collection times.
OPH’s COVID-19 dashboard is reporting a total of 12,929 cases of COVID-19 in the city since the pandemic began. The province’s latest update brings its total to 12,928.
There were 2,417 new cases of COVID-19 reported across Ontario on Sunday. Public Health Ontario also added 50 new deaths provincewide and 2,759 new resolved cases on Sunday.
Since Jan. 16, active cases of COVID-19 have fallen by 27 per cent, the weekly rate of cases per 100,000 residents is down by about 30 per cent and the test positivity rate fell to below 4 per cent.
OTTAWA’S COVID-19 KEY STATISTICS
A province-wide lockdown went into effect on Dec. 26, 2020. Ottawa Public Health moved Ottawa into its red zone in early January.
A provincial stay-at-home order has been in effect since Jan. 14, 2021.
Ottawa Public Health data:
COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 61.2 cases
Positivity rate in Ottawa: 3.2 per cent (Jan. 15 – Jan. 21)
Reproduction number: 0.91 (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.
VACCINES
As of Jan. 22, 2021
Doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 22,981
Doses received in Ottawa: 25,350
ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA
Ottawa Public Health says there are 939 people with known active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa right now, down from 988 in Saturday’s update.
The number of active cases peaked at a record 1,286 on Jan. 16.
OPH added 125 new resolved cases to its count, bringing the total number of resolved cases to 11,571.
The number of active cases is the number of total laboratory-confirmed 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.
HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA
Ottawa Public Health is reporting 37 people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 complications, one more than on Saturday.
There are six people in intensive care.
Of the people in hospital, one is between 10 and 19 years old, one is in their 40s, eight are in their 50s (one is in the ICU), seven are in their 60s (four are in the ICU), four are in their 70s (one is in the ICU), 10 are in their 80s, and six are 90 or older.
COVID-19 TESTING
Ontario health officials say 48,947 COVID-19 tests were completed across Ontario on Saturday and 23,995 tests remain under investigation.
The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce does not provide local testing updates on weekends. In its most recent report on Friday, it said labs performed 6,832 on Jan. 21.
The next update from the taskforce will be released Monday afternoon.
COVID-19 CASES BY AGE CATEGORY
0-9 years old: Eight new cases (923 total cases)
10-19 years-old: Eight new cases (1,622 total cases)
20-29 years-old: 14 new cases (2,756 total cases)
30-39 years-old: 10 new cases (1,790 total cases)
40-49 years-old: Six new cases (1,680 total cases)
50-59 years-old: Seven new cases (1,539 total cases)
60-69-years-old: Five new cases (943 total cases)
70-79 years-old: Nine new cases (585 total cases)
80-89 years-old: Three new cases (653 total cases)
90+ years old: Six new cases (435 total cases)
The ages of three people with COVID-19 are unknown.
COVID-19 CASES ACROSS THE REGION
Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 15 new cases
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: Zero new cases
Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health: Five new cases
Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: Two new cases
Renfrew County and District Health Unit: Zero new cases
Outaouais region: 23 new cases
INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS
Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 41 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.
There are eight active community outbreaks. Two are linked to office workplaces, one is linked to a construction workplace, one is linked to a health workplace, one is linked to a manufacturing/industrial workplace, one is linked to a services workplace, one is linked to a restaurant, and one is linked to a warehouse.
The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
Andrew Fleck Children’s Services – Home Child Care – 29101
Greenboro Children’s Centre
Little Acorn Early Learning Centre
Montessori by Brightpath
Ruddy Family Y Child Care
Services à l’enfance Grandir Ensemble – La Maisonée – 28627
Wee Watch Nepean – Home Child Care – 29084
The long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and other spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
Besserer Place
Centre D’Accueil Champlain
Colonel By Retirement Home
Elisabeth Bruyere Residence
Extendicare Laurier Manor
Extendicare Medex
Extendicare New Orchard Lodge
Extendicare West End Villa
Forest Hill
Garden Terrace
Garry J. Armstrong long-term care home
Grace Manor Long-term Care Home
Group Home – 28608
Group Home – 29045
Group Home – 29049
Group Home – 29052
Madonna Care Community
Montfort Long-term Care Centre
Oakpark Retirement Community
Park Place
Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre
Peter D. Clark long-term care home
Richmond Care Home
Rockcliffe Retirement Residence
Shelter – 28778
Shelter – 29413
Sisters of Charity – Couvent Mont St. Joseph
St. Patrick’s Home
Stirling Park Retirement Community
Supported Independent Living – 29100
The Ravines Independent Living
Valley Stream Retirement Residence
Villa Marconi
Villagia in the Glebe
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, a single confirmed, symptomatic case in a staff member, home daycare provider, or child triggers an outbreak.
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).
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.
No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.
Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.
A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.
The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.
The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
