OTTAWA Ottawa Public Health is reporting 16 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19, the lowest figure in over a week. However, the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 increased for a second day in a row after dropping to a low of 18 on the weekend. The figures come one day after the provincial government announced a 28-day lockdown for southern and eastern Ontario, including Ottawa, despite relatively low figures compared to other parts of the province. Health officials reported 2,202 new cases of COVID-19 across Ontario along with 21 new deaths. There were 636 new cases in Toronto, 504 in Peel, 218 in York Region and 172 in Windsor-Essex County, which are already in lockdown status.
OTTAWA Ottawa Public Health is reporting 31 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, as the province experiences a full week of more than 2,000 cases per day. There are 611 new cases in Toronto, 480 in Peel Region, 192 in York Region and 138 in Windsor-Essex. There are 2,123 new cases of COVID-19 across Ontario and 17 new deaths. None of the new deaths is in Ottawa. The figures for Ottawa have remained relatively stable and much lower than other urban areas, though Ottawa Public Health has reported transmission figures that have been stable in the Orange-Restrict zone. The rate of new cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days has decreased, but the reproduction rate has climbed just above 1, suggesting viral spread is increasing. The estimated reproduction number is a moving seven-day average and has hovered around the baseline of 1 all December after peaking at 1.20 on Nov. 30, according to data from Ottawa Public Health.