OTTAWA —
Ottawa Public Health is reporting 240 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19, the highest single-day case count since the start of the pandemic.
The previous watermark was 234 cases reported on Jan. 9, 2021 in the middle of the post-Christmas spike. This also marks the tenth straight day of daily reports of more than 100 cases.
Ottawa Public Health is reporting a total of 17,825 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa.
One more person has died, bringing the city’s pandemic death toll to 467 residents.
Across Ontario, 3,009 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Saturday, along with 16 new deaths and 1,819 newly resolved cases. The province didn’t provide an official update on Good Friday, but on Saturday said there were 3,089 newly confirmed cases reported on Friday, along with 23 deaths and 1,925 newly resolved cases. Public Health Ontario reported 205 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Saturday. Figures from the province often differ from those provided by Ottawa Public Health in its local update later each day because of different data collection times.
The new figures come on the first day of Ontario’s latest provincewide “shutdown”, which has forced indoor dining, patio dining, gyms and salons closed for at least 28 days.
The key monitoring rate of new cases per 100,000 residents in the past seven days is now above 100.
OTTAWA’S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS
Ottawa entered Ontario’s COVID-19 “shutdown” at 12:01 a.m. April 3.
Ottawa Public Health data:
COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (March 26-April 1): 104.3
Positivity rate in Ottawa: 6.5 per cent (March 26-April 1)
Reproduction number: 1.13 (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 IN OTTAWA
As of April 2:
First vaccine doses administered: 124,462
Second vaccine doses administered: 26,824
Total doses received: 176,410
OPH says the city received a shipment of 36,270 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on March 29.
VARIANTS OF CONCERN
Ottawa Public Health data*:
Total B.1.1.7 (UK variant) cases: 23
Total B.1.351 (South Africa variant) cases: 6
Total P.1 (Brazil variant) cases: 0
Total variants of concern/mutation cases: 596
Deaths linked to variants/mutations: 4
*OPH notes that that VOC and mutation trends must be treated with caution due to the varying time required to complete VOC testing and/or genomic analysis following the initial positive test for SARS-CoV-2. Test results may be completed in batches and data corrections or updates can result in changes to case counts that may differ from past reports.
HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA
There are 44 people in Ottawa-area hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses on Saturday, up from 43 on Friday.
Fourteen people people are in the intensive care unit.
Of the people in hospital, one person is in their 20s, two are in their 30s, one is in their 40s, 11 are in their 50s (five are in the ICU), 10 are in their 60s (four are in the ICU), eight are in their 70s (four are in the ICU), nine are in their 80s (one is in the ICU) and two are 90 or older.
ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA
Ottawa Public Health is reporting 1,516 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, up from 1,358 active cases on Friday.
Eighty-one more Ottawa residents have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 15,842 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 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY
0-9 years old: 25 new cases (1,374 total cases)
10-19 years-old: 32 new cases (2,297 total cases)
20-29 years-old: 61 new cases (3,920 total cases)
30-39 years-old: 34 new cases (2,568 total cases)
40-49 years-old: 37 new cases (2,265 total cases)
50-59 years-old: 23 new cases (2,132 total cases)
60-69-years-old: 16 new cases (1,252 total cases)
70-79 years-old: 8 new cases (742 total cases)
80-89 years-old: 3 new case (740 total cases)
90+ years old: 1 new case (479 total cases)
Unknown: 0 new cases (3 cases total)
COVID-19 TESTING IN OTTAWA
The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce’s next update will be released Monday, April 5.
In its most recent update, the taskforce reported 2,664 swabs were processed at assessment centres in Ottawa on March 31.
A total of 6,782 lab tests were performed in Ottawa on Wednesday.
The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 35 hours.
Across Ontario, 59,117 COVID-19 tests were completed on Friday.
COVID-19 CASES AROUND THE REGION
Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 44 new cases
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: 11 new cases
Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: 9 new cases
Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 12 new cases
Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 2 new cases
Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 131 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.
There are three new outbreaks in schools, two new outbreaks in retirement homes and two new outbreaks in hospitals in Ottawa.
Outbreaks have ended at three schools: Franco-Cité, Louis Riel, and Longfields Davidson Heights. An outbreak is also over at a local group home.
There are five active community outbreaks, down from eight on Friday. Two outbreaks are linked to services workplaces, one is linked to a private social event, one is linked to a restaurant, and one is linked to a recreational workplace.
The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
Fallingbrook Community Elementary School (April 2) [NEW]
Our Lady of Fatima Elementary School (April 2) [NEW]
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)
St. Vincent Hospital (March 6)
Extendicare Medex (March 9)
Peter D. Clark LTCH (March 10)
University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 12)
Chapel Hill RH (March 13)
St. Patrick’s Home (March 14)
St. Vincent Hospital (March 15)
University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 16)
Elisabeth Bruyere Hospital (March 18)
Portobello Retirement Residence (March 18)
Shelter (March 21)
University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 21)
Supported Independent Living (March 23)
Timberwalk Retirement Home (March 24)
Longfields Manor (March 24)
University of Ottawa Heart Institute (March 26)
St. Vincent Hospital – 5N (March 26) [NEW]
Jardin Royal Garden (March 27)
Sisters of Charity (March 28)
Landmark Court Retirement Home (March 29)
Hillel Lodge (March 30)
Group Home A-11533) (March 31)
Manotick Place Retirement (March 31) [NEW]
Wildpine Retirement Living (April 1) [NEW]
Queensway Carleton Hospital (April 2) [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.
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.
