After the number of new COVID cases in the east end’s three municipal wards doubled between Dec. 14 and Dec. 28, they've doubled again with 273 new cases reported during the two-week period between Dec. 28 and Jan. 11.

In the last six weeks the number of combined new cases in Cumberland, Innes and Orléans Wards have increased from 56 between Nov. 30 and Dec. 14, to 132 cases between Dec. 14 and Dec. 28, to now 273 new cases between Dec. 28 and Jan. 11

Once again, the largest number of new cases, by far, occurred in Cumberland Ward which saw them jump from 80 between Dec. 14 and Dec. 28 to 143 during the latest two-week period.

Elsewhere, the number of new cases in Orléans Ward increased threefold, going from 20 between Dec. 14 and Dec. 28 to 59 between Dec. 28 and Jan. 11, and in Innes Ward the number of new cases rose from 32 to 71.

The increase in new cases in the east end between Dec. 21 and Jan. 11 mirrored the increase in new cases city-wide during the same two-week period .

According to the Ottawa Public Health COVID-19 dashboard, there were 1,358 new cases in Ottawa between Dec. 28 and Jan. 11, up from 646 new cases during the previous two-week period. The number of active cases currently being reported in Ottawa stands at 1,157.

During the two weeks covered by the latest data, the percentage of people testing positive ranged from a low of 3.0 per cent on Jan. 2 to as high as 5.9 per cent on Jan. 3. On Jan. 10 the positivity rate was 5.6 per cent. Those are the highest positivity rates the city has seen since the outbreak began last spring.

Another leading indicator of the impact of the COVID-19 virus is the number of hospitalizations it has caused. In Ottawa, the number of people being treated for the coronavirus has risen sharply over the past two weeks. On Dec. 28, 11 people were being treated in area hospitals for COVID-19, two of which were in ICU.

As of Monday, 33 people were being treated in area hospitals, 11 of whom are in intensive care.

The spike in new cases can be traced back to the Christmas holidays and New Year’s when many people were gathering with family and friends.

In an effort to combat the latest surge in new cases province-wide, Premier Doug Ford initiated a stay-at-home order on Tuesday, calling on Ontario residents to remain at home unless they need to go out for essential business such as grocery shopping or visiting the pharmacy. Outdoor activities are also allowed as long as physical distancing guidelines can be respected and maintained. The stay-at-home order will remain in place until Feb. 10.

Also under the new regulations, non-essential businesses including hardware stores and LCBO outlets must close by 8 p.m. and outdoor gatherings are limited to just five people. Area schools will also remain closed until at least Jan. 20 when the situation will be reassessed, however, child care centres can continue to operate.