2 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa Thursday
CBC News | Posted: March 19, 2020 2:37 PM | Last Updated: March 19, 2020
New assessment, testing centres considered for city
Ottawa now has 16 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 258 confirmed cases provincewide.
Earlier in the day, Ontario's Ministry of Health confirmed two new Ottawa cases during its daily update, a man in his 40s and a woman in her 60s who had both been to Europe.
On Thursday afternoon, Ottawa's medical officer of health Vera Etches, said there are 16 confirmed positive cases and three more that are "indeterminate" — that means that officials haven't received the final results of a second test, but presume the cases are positive.
All 19 cases in Ottawa are either people who have travelled or people who have had close contact with someone who has travelled outside Canada, Etches said.
While the number may seem low, 19 is only a fraction of the number of Ottawans who have travelled recently and may have been exposed to the coronavirus, Etches pointed out.
"We do believe that the virus is in our community, and now is the time to practise social distancing," she said.
Ottawa has seen the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases double since Sunday.
All indeterminate cases are treated as positives unless further tests come back negative, Etches said.
One person who was in hospital for COVID-19 in Ottawa has since been released, while one of the new cases is now in hospital, she added.
More assessment, testing facilities
Health officials plan to open a second and possibly a third COVID-19 assessment facility in Ottawa, similar to the Brewer Arena site, Etches said. D. Aubrey Moodie Intermediate School is being considered as a location, and could open next week, she said.
Along with additional assessment centres, Ottawa will likely see a new testing facility at the Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association on Smyth Road, where samples will be analyzed.
Etches reiterated her concerns Thursday there could be hundreds of people in the city who have the respiratory illness and don't know it.
Testing is important, she said, particularly for health-care workers and vulnerable populations in long-term care homes and prisons where, if undetected, the virus could spread rapidly.
Social distancing key
Everyone is advised to practise social distancing as much as possible, and those who feel sick should stay home until they feel well for 24 hours, Etches said. Only those with severe symptoms such as shortness of breath should go to hospital.
In the Outaouais, the local health authority said it's also considering a second assessment centre to ramp up testing. Centre intégré de Santé et de Services sociaux de l'Outaouais said Thursday it has received more than 100 applications from retired health-care workers offering to return to help during the pandemic.
Etches expects a similar call to go out to health professionals in Ottawa should the need arise for more staff.
"I don't think anything is off the table," she said.
Corrections:
- A previous version of this story stated three indeterminate cases had been confirmed. This was incorrect. As of Thursday evening they remain indeterminate. March 19, 2020 11:12 PM