DEATH COUNT SPIRALS UP
Seven latest victims were all residents of long-term care and retirement homes
Seven fatalities in city from virus since Tuesday
Seven more COVID-19-related deaths were reported in Ottawa on Friday, bringing the city’s total to 21. It was the city’s largest single-day jump in reported deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Ottawa Public Health said the new deaths were all related to outbreaks in long-term care and retirement homes, bringing the total COVID-19-related deaths in those facilities to 12.
“My thoughts are with the family members, friends, and caregivers of the people who have died,” Ottawa chief medical officer Dr. Vera Etches said in a statement. “OPH continues to work with healthcare partners to ensure long-termcare and retirement homes are a top priority for protection.”
Additionally, 50 new confirmed cases were reported in Ottawa on Friday, bringing the total to 728.
“An increase in testing might contribute, in part, to the increase in newly identified cases,” Ottawa Public Health said.
Among those recently diagnosed is a staff member at the Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre, the second there to test positive in as many days.
OC Transpo reported Thursday afternoon that one of its drivers also tested positive for COVID -19, the third driver and fifth employee of the agency to so far do so.
Of 37 COVID-19 patients currently in hospital in Ottawa, 13 are in intensive care, down from 43 hospitalized patients and 17 ICU patients as of Thursday.
Meanwhile, 42 per cent of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ottawa have been resolved, with many patients’ symptoms clearing up and isolation no longer required.
Etches also praised Ottawa residents for their resiliency in maintaining physical distancing and other measures to help limit the spread of COVID -19. “There would be more cases of COVID-19 in our community had everyone not done their part over the past month,” she said. “Please keep up this hard work over the next stretch of time. Thank you again for all the actions you are taking as a community — these actions are saving lives.”
Quebec health officials reported the first COVID -19 death in the Outaouais on Friday. No additional details were released.
The Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais reported there had been 192 cases in the region so far, with 149 of those cases in the City of Gatineau, 25 in MRC de Papineau, 12 in MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais and five or less in each of MRC de la Valléede-la-Gatineau and MRC du Pontiac. As of Friday, there were nine hospitalizations, including four people in intensive care.
The National Capital Commission, meanwhile, announced Friday that it would launch a pilot project closing the Queen Elizabeth Driveway between Laurier and Fifth avenues to motor vehicles daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., starting Saturday and running through April 26 “to enable physical distancing for residents who live in the dense surrounding areas.” (For more on this, see page A13.)
With files from Taylor Blewett. bdeachman@postmedia.com