Ottawa sees slight uptick in daily cases Sunday - CTV Edmonton

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Ottawa sees slight uptick in daily cases Sunday – CTV Edmonton

Published

3 years ago

July 18, 2021

Harry Miller

OTTAWA —
Ottawa Public Health is reporting seven more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19, a slight uptick over previous reports in the past week.

OPH reported five new cases on Saturday, following three days of net zero case increases and one day where the total decreased by one.

The new cases Sunday bring Ottawa’s pandemic total to 27,741 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. No new deaths were reported on Sunday. The pandemic has claimed the lives of 593 residents of Ottawa.

Across Ontario, officials reported another 177 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and said six more Ontarians have died due to the virus. The number of resolved cases was lower than the number of new cases, with 166 newly resolved infections, meaning the active case count in the province went up slightly. Public Health Ontario added five cases to its total for Ottawa on Sunday. Figures from OPH often differ from Public Health Ontario’s because the two health agencies pull data for their respective daily reports at different times of the day.

Around eastern Ontario, Public Health Ontario confirmed four new cases, one in Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s region and three in the Renfrew County and District Health Unit’s region. All other eastern Ontario public health units reported zero cases.

Active COVID-19 cases in Ottawa ticked up slightly because there were fewer resolved cases Sunday. The incidence rate of new cases per 100,000 population is back above 1 after falling to 0.7 on Saturday. Four weeks ago it was nearly 15 times higher and it was above 50 two months ago.

There is only one active COVID-19 outbreak in Ottawa. It is at a local shelter and has had three confirmed cases since July 8.

OTTAWA’S KEY COVID-19 STATISTICS

Ottawa is now in Step 3 of of Ontario’s Roadmap to Reopen plan

Ottawa Public Health data:

COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (July 10 to July 16): 1.1 (up from 0.7)
Positivity rate in Ottawa (July 9 to July 15): 0.1 per cent
Reproduction number (seven day average): 0.99 (up from 0.85)

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.

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

There are 25 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Sunday, up from 23 active cases on Saturday.

Five more people have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. The total number of resolved cases of coronavirus in Ottawa is 27,123.

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 zero people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses for a fourth straight day.

There are no patients in the intensive care unit.

These data are based on figures from Ottawa Public Health’s COVID-19 dashboard, which refer to residents of Ottawa and do not include patient transfers from other regions.

COVID-19 VACCINES IN OTTAWA

Ottawa Public Health updates vaccine numbers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. As of Friday:

Ottawa residents with 1 dose (12+): 755,814
Ottawa residents with 2 doses (12+): 553,045
Share of population 12 and older with at least one dose: 82 per cent
Share of population 12 and older fully vaccinated: 62 per cent
Total doses received in Ottawa: 1,160,812

*Total doses received does not include doses shipped to pharmacies and primary care clinics, but statistics on Ottawa residents with one or two doses includes anyone with an Ottawa postal code who was vaccinated anywhere in Ontario.

VARIANTS OF CONCERN

Ottawa Public Health data*:

Total Alpha (B.1.1.7) cases: 6,814
Total Beta (B.1.351) cases: 405
Total Gamma (P.1) cases: 34
Total Delta (B.1.617.2) cases: 32 (+2)
Percent of new cases with variant/mutation in last 30 days: 56 per cent
Total variants of concern/mutation cases: 9,092 (+1)
Deaths linked to variants/mutations: 101

*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.

COVID-19 TESTING IN OTTAWA

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce does not report testing figures on Sundays but said in its most recent report that 839 swabs were processed at assessment centres in Ottawa on July 15. A total of 1,979 lab tests were performed in Ottawa on Thursday.

The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 20 hours.

The next update from the testing taskforce is due on Monday.

CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION

Eastern Ontario Health Unit: Zero new cases
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health: One new case
Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health: Zero new cases
Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: Zero new cases
Renfrew County and District Health Unit: Threenew cases
Outaouais: New cases in the Outaouais will be reported on Monday.

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Whooping cough cases up slightly in N.L., as officials warn about risks to infants – CBC.ca

Published

6 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Harry Miller

Newfoundland and Labrador’s top doctor is warning people to stay up to date on whooping cough vaccinations after a small increase in cases this year.

The province usually sees three to four cases of the disease annually. Up to 10 cases have been reported already since January, however, prompting the province’s chief medical officer to raise the issue publicly.

The increase “generally means there’s a little bit more circulating in the community than what’s presenting for care and testing,” Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said Tuesday.

While officials aren’t overly concerned about a future spike in cases, Fitzgerald said, higher infection rates place infants in particular at risk.

Children under the age of one aren’t yet old enough for the whooping cough vaccine and don’t have immunity to the disease, Fitzgerald said. Infections in small children can be more severe and lead to pneumonia, neurological issues and hospitalization.

Fitzgerald said parents, grandparents and caregivers should check to ensure their vaccinations are up to date.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, causes a persistent nagging cough that’s sometimes severe enough to cause vomiting. Vaccines for the disease are offered in early childhood, during high school and in adulthood. Booster shots should be given 10 years after the high school dose, Fitzgerald said.

“Immunity can wane over time,” she said. “Pertussis does circulate on a regular basis in our community.”

The small increase in cases isn’t yet ringing alarm bells for undervaccination within the general population, she added, noting the province still has a vaccination rate over 90 per cent.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.

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Supervised consumption sites urgently needed, says study – Sudbury.com

Published

8 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Harry Miller

A study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) said the opioid drug crisis has reached such a critical level that a public safety response is urgently required and that includes the need for expanded supervised consumption sites.

The report was published by the medical journal Monday and was authored by Shaleesa Ledlie, David N. Juurlink, Mina Tadrous, Muhammad Mamdani, J. Michael Paterson and Tara Gomes; physicians and scientists associated with the University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Research Institute and the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital.

“The drug toxicity crisis continues to accelerate across Canada, with rapid increases in opioid-related harms following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the authors wrote. “We sought to describe trends in the burden of opioid-related deaths across Canada throughout the pandemic, comparing these trends by province or territory, age and sex.”

The study determined that across Canada, the burden of premature opioid-related deaths doubled between 2019 and 2021, representing more than one-quarter of deaths among younger adults. The disproportionate loss of life in this demographic group highlights the critical need for targeted prevention efforts, said the study.

The researchers found that the death rate increased significantly as fentanyl was introduced to the mix of street drugs that individuals were using, in some cases, unknowingly.

The authors said this demonstrates the need for consumption sites, not only as overwatch as people with addictions consume their drugs, but also to make an effort to identify the substances and inform those people beforehand.

“The increased detection of fentanyl in opioid-related deaths in Canada highlights the need for expansion of harm-reduction programs, including improved access to drug-checking services, supervised consumption sites, and treatment for substance use disorders,” the authors wrote.

The study said a more intense public safety response is needed.

“Given the rapidly evolving nature of the drug toxicity crisis, a public safety response is urgently required and may include continued funding of safer opioid supply programs that were expanded beginning in March 2020, improved flexibility in take-home doses of opioid agonist treatment, and enhanced training for health care workers, harm reduction workers, and people who use drugs on appropriate responses to opioid toxicities involving polysubstance use.

In conclusion, the authors wrote that during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the burden of premature death from accidental opioid toxicities in Canada dramatically increased, especially in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

“In 2021, more than 70 per cent of opioid-related deaths occurred among males and about 30 per cent occurred among people aged 30–39 years, representing one in every four deaths in this age group. The disproportionate rates of opioid-related deaths observed in these demographic groups highlight the critical need for the expansion of targeted harm reduction–based policies and programs across Canada,” said the study.

The full text of the report can be found online here.

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Business Plan Approved for Cancer Centre at NRGH – My Cowichan Valley Now

Published

13 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Harry Miller

A business plan for a new BC Cancer Centre at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital has been approved by the province.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says the state-of-the-art cancer facility will benefit patients in Nanaimo and the surrounding region through the latest medical technology.

The facility will have 12 exam rooms, four consultation rooms and space for medical physicists and radiation therapists, medical imaging and radiation treatment of cancer patients.

The procurement process is underway, and construction is expected to begin in 2025 and be complete in 2028.

Upgrades to NRGH have also been approved, such as a new single-storey addition to the ambulatory care building and expanded pharmacy.

Dix says Nanaimo’s population is growing rapidly and aging, and stronger health services in the region, so people get the health care they need closer to home.

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