What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday, May 20 cbc.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbc.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The number of deaths in Ottawa due to opioid overdoses nearly doubled in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated an already worsening drug supply while further compromising the city’s at-risk population through reduced services and greater isolation.
The city’s confirmed and probable death toll from opioid overdoses rose to 127 in 2020, from 65 a year earlier, an increase of 95 per cent. The province, meanwhile, experienced a 60 per cent increase, from 1,516 in 2019 to 2,426 last year.
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The new figures are part of a preliminary report from the Office of the Chief Coroner that has yet to be released or published on the province’s public health website.
The Ottawa area s weekly COVID-19 vaccine checkup: April 29
More than 725,000 doses have been administered throughout the region as eligibility continues to expand, and now includes more essential workers.
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Posted: Apr 29, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: April 29
A man fills out a form as he stands in line for a COVID-19 vaccine at a Loblaws pharmacy in Ottawa April 26, 2021. The hastily announced walk-in clinic frustrated people who have were on wait-lists and felt they should have been offered a dose first.(Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
Posted: Apr 24, 2021 4:05 AM ET | Last Updated: April 24
Francois, pictured here outside the Shepherds of Good Hope on Murray Street, received his first vaccine dose in March. For him, the hardest part of this past year was how quiet the streets were, especially during the first shutdown. Man, there was nobody out there. But there were a few people that kept me going, so I still managed. (Spencer Colby)
COVID-19 outbreaks at shelters during the darkest days of winter made this past year especially difficult for Ottawa s homeless population.
But with warmer weather coming, and now that many have received their first dose of a vaccine, there s a sense of hope.