Ottawa caseload spikes as Thanksgiving approaches
Ottawa's COVID-19 cases spiked sharply Wednesday, with Ottawa Public Health reporting 117 new confirmed cases, nearly double the number of the day before.
It's the city's second-highest daily increase since the pandemic began.
There were no new deaths, however, so while the city's total number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 4,970, the number of deaths stayed unchanged at 295.
It is the highest daily increase in the city since Oct. 2 when 142 cases were reported.
Ottawa accounted for more than 20 per cent of the 583 new cases reported in Ontario on Wednesday. Sixty per cent of those new infections were in people under the age of 40.
Ottawa Public Health reported that more than 2,200 swabs had been taken on Tuesday — the most recent figures available — and that 3,208 swabs had been tested, well short of the goal of completing 3,850 tests a day. There is a backlog of 1,743 tests waiting to be performed, although OPH was still reporting a 24-hour turnaround on high-priority tests.
The concerning rise in COVID cases come just days before the Thanksgiving weekend. Ontario Premier Doug Ford once again urged people to stick to single-household gatherings for the holiday and to avoid extended family reunions.
“That means sitting down to dinner with only the people you live with,” he said on Wednesday. “I know it's tough on everyone.”
Those who live alone, Ford added, can pair up with one other household, “and as much as possible, please limit the amount of people you're getting close to.”
“Thanksgiving is normally a time when people get together with family and friends, but these aren't normal times.”
The premier continued to say he wanted to see hard evidence before considering shutting down more businesses, particularly indoor dining at restaurants, as COVID-19 infections rise.
“The restaurant owners are doing a fine job,” he said. “There are some bad actors, but we can't paint them all with a broad brush, and we can't just shut down people's livelihoods that quickly with a broad brush.
“We have to be very careful when we're messing with people's lives like this.”
Ford made the plea at the Centre for Mental Health and Addiction in Toronto, where it was also announced that the province will provide an additional $176 million to help expand access for mental health and addictions supports during COVID-19.
The funding is part of the province's investment of $3.8 billion over 10 years in Ontario's A Roadmap to Wellness plan to build a mental-health and addictions system.