Medical officer of health declares second wave
Curve could be flattened within weeks if people act responsibly, Etches says
Ottawa has entered the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the city's medical officer of health, who says she's worried about the speed of the recent spike in cases.
But Dr. Vera Etches says the second wave doesn't have to trigger a crisis and can be stopped if individuals take responsible action today.
“The actions we take today could make that wave flatten, that curve flatten, in the next two to three weeks,” Etches told reporters Friday. “And it is up to each of us to make that happen.”
She declared a second wave, Etches explained, because the number of positive cases was rising rapidly and, at the same time, the percentage of people testing positive was on the rise — even as more were tested.
A rapid, sustained wave, she warned, could invade long-term care homes and cause more hospitalizations and deaths unless brought under control. “Our goal as a community is to stop the rise, slow down the rise, turn the curve again,” she said.
Ottawa reported 63 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, bringing the number of active cases to 458. And, for the first time since mid-June, Ontario's daily COVID -19 new-case count surpassed 400. According to the province, 401 more people tested positive, including 130 in Toronto and 82 in Peel Region.
Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada's deputy chief public health officer, said it was too soon to declare a second wave, but he conceded “the trend is definitely going the wrong way,” particularly in the four largest provinces.
Quebec reported 297 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, with the Outaouais accounting for nine of those.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson met Friday with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and told him there needed to be a “pivot” in government messaging to keep asymptomatic people away from local testing centres, which are plagued with lineups.
New testing sites are being finalized by the city's hospital network, Watson said, and should be announced next week.
Brewer Arena, the city's main COVID -19 assessment centre, has seen families start lining up in the early hours all week. Testing sites on Moodie Drive and Heron Road have also been swamped.
Watson said he had been told by health officials that up to 90 per cent of those in line had no symptoms. (It can take days for the virus to build enough in an individual to become detectable through testing.)
Etches conceded that the “evolving guidance” on who should be tested had been a challenge, adding: “The simplest way I can put it is this: Ottawa Public Health is currently recommending testing for those showing new symptoms of COVID -19, or those who have been instructed by OPH to seek testing.”
Canada's premiers called Friday for the federal government to increase its contribution to the Canada Health Transfer by $28 billion. They want the federal contribution to reach 35 per cent of total health care spending … and stay there.
“We've seen health-care costs escalate overwhelmingly over this pandemic,” Ford told reporters.
Citing surgery backlogs and long-term care wait lists, Ford said the current system was unsustainable.
We've seen health-care costs escalate overwhelmingly over this pandemic.
PREMIER DOUG FORD