Two new COVID-19 outbreaks in Ottawa despite other downward trends

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is reporting a couple new COVID-19 outbreaks in the community, but says most indicators of the virus' spread within the community are still trending down.

Fielding Drive Public School is the latest school to declare an outbreak after a couple of students tested positive for COVID-19. It's one of seven local schools dealing with outbreaks. OPH says one daycare is also on outbreak status.

The health unit is tracking a new community outbreak as well, this time at an office workplace. There's one other community outbreak being monitored as of Friday, October 15, stemming from a 'services' workplace.

OPH is confirming 45 new COVID-19 cases in Ottawa on Friday. There have been 246 new cases in the city in the last seven days. The number of Delta variant cases confirmed in Ottawa over the last 30 days is down to 119. It's been on a downward slope for the last few weeks.

Ottawa's active COVID-19 case count is up, slightly, to 286.

There are seven people in local hospitals with COVID-19 (five in intensive care).

No new COVID-19-related deaths are being reported in the capital, which leaves the local pandemic toll at 601.

According to OPH's vaccination dashboard, 85 per cent of all residents over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 89 per cent have had at least one shot.

The rate of infection among Ottawa's unvaccinated vaccine-eligible population is 11 times higher than it is for the fully vaccinated population. The local rate of infection per 100,000 residents for those vaccinated against the virus is at 11, whereas the rate for those unvaccinated (or vaccinated with one dose under 14 days) is 125.2. The rate per 100,000 residents for those who are waiting for their second shot is 55.4.

Ottawa residents being tested for COVID-19 in Ottawa are seeing positive results 1.8 per cent of the time.

Ontario reported 496 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths on Friday. Health Minister Christine Elliott said 334 of those cases are in people who aren't fully vaccinated or their vaccine status isn't known.

There have been 30,427 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa (29,540 resolved) since March of 2020.