New COVID-19 death reported in Ottawa, ICUs continue to remain empty of COVID patients

While Ottawa Public Health (OPH) continues to report empty ICU rooms across the city, it is reporting a new death associated with COVID-19.

According to OPH's report for Saturday, the city’s death toll is now at 618 following the newly reported death.

However, two patients have been able to leave the hospital since Friday, bringing the number of people currently in hospital to 10.

OPH is also reporting 45 new cases of the virus in the city on Saturday (down from Friday’s 47), bringing the total number of cases since the pandemic started to 31,882.

This means Ottawa represents about 5.3 per cent of all cases reported across the province on Saturday.

Active cases, though, have dropped to 310 from Friday’s 318.

While there are three new outbreaks at childcare centres and schools, there are 17 ongoing outbreaks (which is still down from Friday’s 21).

Those three new outbreaks are located at:

• Inuuqatigiit Licensed Centre-Based Child Care in Overbrook with three cases among students/children and one staff case
• Notre Dame High School with two student cases
• École Élémentaire Saint-François-d’Assise with three student cases

In the community, however, there is one new outbreak, bringing the current number of ongoing outbreaks to two.

Meanwhile, health-care institutions still have 10 ongoing outbreaks, which is unchanged from Friday’s report.

The rate per 100,000 residents has jumped to 25.1, which is up from Friday’s 23.4.

However, the positivity rate in the community is staying at 1.7 per cent.

Public Health Ontario (PHO) has the Eastern Ontario Health Unit reporting 12 new cases in its region on Saturday, down from Friday’s 17.

The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit also recorded a slight dip in new cases, to three from four.

Then there’s the Renfrew County and District Health Unit, which is reporting a slight uptick in new cases with five, up from the previous day’s three.

For Ontario as a whole, PHO is reporting 854 new cases of the virus, down from Friday’s 927.

There are two new deaths added to the provincial tally, bringing the provincial death toll since the pandemic started to 9,993.

However, in the last 24 hours, 580 cases have resolved.

There are currently 254 people in hospital with COVID, which is down 14 from Friday.

There are six fewer people in the ICU (now 134) and one more person on a ventilator (now 87).

Of those in hospital but not in the ICU, 83 are unvaccinated, 48 are fully vaccinated and eight are partially.

In the ICU, 60 patients are unvaccinated, 11 are fully vaccinated and three are partially vaccinated.