More than 200 new COVID-19 cases in Ottawa on Friday

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More than 200 new COVID-19 cases in Ottawa on Friday

Ottawa Public Health reported more than 200 new COVID-19 cases in Ottawa on Friday, a day after the city recorded its lowest new case count in weeks.

ottawa.ctvnews.ca

More than 200 new COVID-19 cases in Ottawa on Friday​

Published Friday, April 30, 2021 10:21AM EDT
Last Updated Friday, April 30, 2021 6:18PM EDT

OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health reported more than 200 new COVID-19 cases in Ottawa on Friday, a day after the city reported its lowest new case count in weeks.

The health unit is reporting 206 new coronavirus cases in Ottawa on Friday. On Thursday, Ottawa Public Health recorded 118 new cases, the lowest such number since April 1.

The city's daily case counts continue to oscillate above and below 200 as the health care system battles a punishing third wave of the virus, and with Ontario's stay-at-home order now more than three weeks old.

However, the overall trends are going in the right direction. The city's weekly incidence rate is 128 cases per 100,000 people, OPH reported on Friday. This time last week, it was 170 per 100,000.

And Ottawa's testing positivity rate has dropped to 7.6 per cent. This time last week it was 10.9 per cent.

Vaccinations are also ramping up: 37 per cent of people 16 and older in Ottawa have received at least one vaccined dose as of Friday.

"The rates of COVID-19 in the community, while still high, are stabilizing. I say this as encouragement, not to imply that we are ready to ease restrictions; we are not there yet,” medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches said in a special statement on Friday. “But we are on the right track.”

Provincial officials had earlier reported 196 new cases for Ottawa on Friday. The provincial and Ottawa Public Health numbers often differ because of different data collection times.

Provincewide, Ontario is reporting 3,887 new cases on Friday, along with 21 more deaths.

There are 883 people in intensive care units across the province. Twenty-nine of them are Ottawa residents.

One new death was reported in Ottawa on Friday, bringing the total death toll from COVID-19 in the city to 504.

On Wednesday, Ottawa surpassed 500 deaths from the virus.