345 new COVID-19 cases, one death in Ottawa as hospitalizations reach record high

Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are above 100 for the first time in Ottawa during the pandemic, while more patients are also in intensive care than ever before.

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is reporting 104 hospitalizations and 33 ICU patients due to the novel coronavirus, after it confirmed 345 new cases and one new death in the city, Friday, April 16.

Ottawa health officials are warning that COVID-19 hospitalizations could hit 200 sometime next week, and if current trends continue, 400 in the weeks to follow. Meanwhile, The Ottawa Hospital is implementing Level 2 of its COVID-19 surge plan, which includes room for 220 COVID-19 patients.

Indicators of community transmission like the weekly incidence rate and positivity rate are continuing to ascend. The weekly incidence rate is up to 218.8 per 100,000 residents, which is more than five times the rate Ottawa was seeing a month ago when it was put into the red-control tier of Ontario's COVID-19 response framework. Residents being tested for COVID-19 are seeing positive results 10.5 per cent of the time.

Ottawa's pandemic death toll is up to 480.

There are 16 healthcare institutions dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks, four childcare centres and 14 schools. OPH is also tracking 10 community outbreaks.

There have been 21,311 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa (17,715 resolved) over the last 13 months — 2,308 in the last week.

OPH knows of 3,116 active cases of novel coronavirus in the community.

The good news is the City of Ottawa received 28,400 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine this week, bringing the overall vaccine total to 279,390 received to date. OPH says 82 per cent of those have been administered. 

Ontario is reporting a single-day record of 4,812 new cases of COVID-19, Friday, including 56 in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit's region, 13 in the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark district and eight in Renfrew County and district.