Some COVID-19 markers see decline while others remain steady as Ottawa heads into Thanksgiving long weekend

Ottawa continues to report a steady dip in active COVID-19 cases and hospital numbers, while new cases are hovering around the same as the city heads into the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Ottawa Public Health reported 339 active cases on Thursday (down from Wednesday’s 360), and seven people in hospital with the virus (down from yesterday’s nine), with 29 new cases of COVID in the city. This bringing the total since the pandemic started to 30,116.

Ottawa represents about 4.9 per cent of all cases being reported across the province on Thursday.

The rate per 100,000 residents of COVID-19 reported in the last seven days has dipped to 31.5, from Thursday’s 32.4.

Meanwhile, the rate of positivity in the community continues to remain at 1.9 per cent.

There are no new deaths, keeping the local death toll at 598.

Three new outbreaks have been reported at childcare centres and schools, bringing the total number of ongoing outbreaks to 15.

There is one new outbreak in the community, which brings the current number of ongoing outbreaks to two.

There are no new outbreaks at healthcare institutions, however, leaving the number of ongoing outbreaks at one.

The Eastern Ontario Health Unit saw a spike in new cases on Thursday as it reports 24 new cases — up from yesterday's five.

The Leeds Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit has five new ones to reports, up from the previous day’s two.

And the Renfrew County and District Health Unit has two new cases, up from Wednesday’s zero.

Public Health Ontario, however, reported the end of the province’s four-day downfall of numbers.

On Thursday, the health organization reported 587 new cases across the province — an increase from Wednesday’s 476; Tuesday’s 429; Monday’s  511; and Sunday’s 580.

This brings the province’s total since the pandemic started to 590,104.

Six additional deaths have been recorded, however, the province says this number only includes deaths that have happened in the last month on top of one death that was removed from the cumulative total based on data cleaning.

And in the last 24 hours, 586 cases have resolved.

There are now 279 people in hospital with the virus (down one from yesterday), with 125 in the ICU (seven fewer than the day before) and 81 on a ventilator (three fewer than Wednesday).

Of the patients in hospital but not in the ICU, 96 are unvaccinated, 50 are fully vaccinated and 12 are partially.

Of those in the ICU, 75 are unvaccinated, 15 are fully vaccinated and 10 are partially vaccinated.