Ottawa Public Health issuing household isolation reminder as COVID transmission hits new heights

Ottawa's medical officer of health is seeing evidence that COVID-19 transmission is happening at a high rate within households, and many people who are testing positive have long lists of close contacts.

That's why Dr. Vera Etches and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson held a news conference on Wednesday, December 22, to remind residents about new provincial protocols which call for all members of a household to self-isolate for 10 days if one member tests positive for COVID-19, regardless of immunization status.

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) reported a record 387 new local cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, and Dr. Etches says there's “no doubt” transmission of COVID-19 in Ottawa goes well beyond the numbers being reported on a daily basis due to a lack of available testing and contact tracing at the moment.

OPH had already asked, on Monday, that anyone unable to access a COVID-19 test assume they are infected with Omicron and self-isolate for 10 days from the time their symptoms began. The health unit explained at that time that it was anticipating existing testing capacity would need to be preserved for essential workers, and to protect the city's most vulnerable populations.

Dr. Etches says limiting contacts and self-isolating when sick are easy steps residents can take to curb COVID-19 spread in the community. She also suggests residents wear masks and practice physical distancing when spending time indoors with people from outside of their households. 

She's not ruling out that more public health restrictions might need to be put in place if local COVID-19 case numbers keep growing, but for now, hospitalization numbers remain low.

“We want to act sooner than later if we start to see things growing,” Dr. Etches adds.

On the positive side, the doctor says the city is looking to open another large COVID-19 vaccination clinic soon. Officials are constantly search for ways to create more vaccine access. 

Dr. Etches says the low number of COVID-related hospitalizations show that Ottawa's population is much better protected than it was a year ago, thanks to vaccines.

For more information on self-isolation guidance, visit ottawapublichealth.ca.