The number of new COVID-19 cases in Ottawa’s three east end wards has dropped dramatically in the past two weeks.

According to the last update of Ottawa Public Health’s COVID Ward Map, there were 80 new cases reported in Orléans, Innes and Cumberland Ward between Jan. 25 and Feb. 8, that’s down from 161 cases reported between Jan. 11 and Jan 25 and 273 cases reported between Dec. 28 and Jan. 11.

There were 27 new cases reported in Orléans Ward between Jan. 25 and Feb. 8, down from 44 new cases reported between Jan. 11 and Jan. 25; 24 new cases in Innes Ward, down from 58 new cases during the previous two-week period; and 29 new cases in Cumberland Ward down from 59 new cases between Jan. 11 and Jan. 25.

The decrease in new cases is indicative of an overall drop in new cases city-wide.
According to the Ottawa Public Health COVID-19 dashboard, there were 513 new cases in Ottawa between Jan. 25 and Feb. 8, down from 1,004 new cases during the previous two-week period. There are currently 420 active cases in the city; that’s nearly a third of the number of active cases two weeks ago when the number was 1,220.

The positivity rate is also below two per cent for the first time since Feb 2 and well below the seven per cent positivity rate recorded on Jan. 12.

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 been steadily decreasing since Jan. 26 when there were 43 people being treated for COVID-19 in Ottawa area hospitals, six of who were in intensive care. On Monday, the number of COVID-19 patients had dropped to 26, five of whom were in ICU.

Thirty-five people have died since Jan. 1, including five in the past two weeks, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in Ottawa to 427.

The dramatic decrease in new cases and hospitalizations has prompted the provin-cial government to announce the lifting of the stay-at-home order and the likely return to orange zone measures, allowing non-essential business and restaurants to reopen, starting next Tuesday.

According to Ottawa Public Health, there have been 393 cases in Orléans Ward since the pandemic began, excluding long-term homes and retirement residences: 530 cases in Innes Ward and 689 cases in Cumberland Ward.

All told, there have been 343 cases in long-term care homes and retirement residences in the three east end wards since the outbreak began. That number includes both residents and staff. There have only been three new cases in the past two weeks all three of which are staff.

Ottawa Public Health has administered vaccinations to 95.8 per cent of long-term care residents and staff members in the city and a majority of residents in private retirement communities have received their first dose

As of Tuesday Feb 9, Ottawa Public Health had administered 31,554 of the 34,255 doses they have so far received from the province.