Yahoo Finance What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa on Monday, June 21
Recent developments:
Ottawa reported 11 more cases of COVID-19 Monday and no deaths.
Ontarians will get Moderna vaccines, not Pfizer, due to shipment delays.
New community clinics set to open today in Ottawa.
What's the latest?
Ottawa Public Health (OPH) confirmed another 11 cases of COVID-19 and no deaths Monday.
Fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents can enter the country without undergoing quarantine starting the night of July 5, the federal government announced on Monday.
Ontarians slated for a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine this week will be offered a Moderna vaccine instead due to a shipment delay, the government says.
The City of Ottawa says the two mRNA vaccines are interchangeable and that doing so is "safe and effective."
Ottawa-Gatineau area confirmed COVID-19 cases
Despite the delay, Ottawa is set to open a number of new community vaccine clinics today.
Also, anyone who got a first dose of Pfizer or Moderna on or before May 9 and has a second shot lined up will be able to rebook that shot for an earlier date as of 8 a.m.
How many cases are there?
As of Monday, 27,581 Ottawa residents had tested positive for COVID-19. There are 186 known active cases, 26,807 cases considered resolved, and 588 cases where people have died.
Public health officials have reported more than 49,900 COVID-19 cases across eastern Ontario and western Quebec, including more than 48,600 resolved cases.
Elsewhere in eastern Ontario, 190 people have died. In western Quebec, the death toll is 214.
Akwesasne has had about 700 residents test positive and 10 deaths between its northern and southern sections.
Kitigan Zibi has had 34 cases and one death. Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory has had 11, with one death. Pikwakanagan hasn't had any.
CBC Ottawa is profiling those who've died of COVID-19. If you'd like to share your loved one's story, please get in touch.
What can I do?
Eastern Ontario:
Ontario is in Step 1 of its reopening plan, which allows for outdoor dining and indoor shopping for non-essential items.
Up to 10 people can now gather outside, including people from different households. Indoor gatherings between households are generally not allowed.
Step 1 has also brought back outdoor fitness classes, pools and non-contact sports practices as long as they're under the gathering limit.
Gyms and personal care services remain closed. Ontario has moved to online learning for the rest of this school year.
The province's reopening plan leans on rates of spread, hospitalization and vaccination. The next step would come in early July at the earliest, and would permit the resumption of small indoor gatherings, outdoor sports and personal care services.
Western Quebec
Western Quebec is under yellow zone rules, which permit some masked indoor gatherings for people who don't live together.
People can eat both indoors and outdoors at restaurants and bars. A maximum of two people from different addresses can sit together.
Gyms can reopen, with masks mandatory inside.
Outdoor gatherings of up to eight people are allowed, or 25 if playing contact-free sports. As many as 2,500 people can gather in a large theatre or arena.
There is no longer a curfew.
Travel throughout the province is allowed but not recommended. The Quebec-Ontario border is fully open.
The next step in Quebec's reopening plan should start June 25, bringing back festivals and allowing people with two vaccine doses to do more than they're currently allowed to.
Distancing and isolating
The novel coronavirus primarily spreads through droplets that can hang in the air.
People can be contagious without symptoms, even after getting a vaccine. Coronavirus variants of concern are more contagious and are established.
This means it is important to take precautions now and in the future like staying home while sick — and getting help with costs if needed — keeping hands and surfaces clean and maintaining distance from anyone you don't live with, even with a mask on.
Masks, preferably ones that fit snugly and have three layers, are mandatory in indoor public settings in Ontario and Quebec and recommended in crowded outdoor areas.
People have to show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test to enter Canada by land without a fine and have to pay for their stay in a quarantine hotel if entering by air. These rules should change soon, and an update is expected on Monday.
Health Canada recommends older adults and people with underlying medical conditions get help with errands.
Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms should self-isolate, as should those who've been ordered to do so by their public health unit. The length of self-isolation varies in Quebec and Ontario.
Vaccines
Four COVID-19 vaccines have been deemed safe and approved in Canada. Three are in use.
Canada's task force says first doses offer such strong protection that people can wait up to four months to get a second. Supply and the more infectious delta variant are some of the factors pushing provinces to speed that up.
That same task force says it's safe and effective to mix first and second doses under certain conditions. Quebec and Ontario are both doing this.
More than 1,800,000 doses have been given out in the Ottawa-Gatineau region since mid-December, including more than 800,000 in Ottawa and more than 300,000 in western Quebec.
Eastern Ontario
Ontario is vaccinating anyone age 12 or older. People can look for provincial appointments opening up online or over the phone at 1-833-943-3900.
Pharmacies continue to offer vaccines through their own booking systems, as do some family doctors.
Starting Monday at 8 a.m., anyone who got a first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna on or before May 9 and has a second shot lined up will be able to rebook that shot for an earlier date.
All adults will be eligible to rebook as of June 28.
Ontario will allow second AstraZeneca doses for people who got a first AstraZeneca dose.
All of these bookings depend on the supply being sent to health units.
Health officials continue to tell people who got a first dose before their second dose was automatically booked that they won't be forgotten. They say most people that want a second dose can get one by autumn.
Local health units have flexibility in the larger framework, including around booking, so check their websites for details. Some offer standby lists for doses on short notice.
Western Quebec
Quebec is giving first doses to anyone 12 and older.
Its goal is to provide second doses eight weeks after the first, allowing people to rebook by age. That plan has now expanded to include people age 35 and over, moving to 30 and over on Monday.
The local health authority is not offering walk-in AstraZeneca shots for the time being because of supply.
It's also temporarily unable to schedule new vaccine appointments due to provincewide delays in getting Pfizer vaccine doses, although pre-existing appointments remain in place.
People who qualify can make an appointment online or over the phone or visit one of its permanent and mobile walk-in clinics.
The province is hoping to provide second doses by the end of August to 75 per cent of people aged 12 and up.
Symptoms and testing
COVID-19 can range from a cold-like illness to a severe lung infection, with common symptoms including fever, a cough, vomiting and loss of taste or smell. Children tend to have an upset stomach and/or a rash.
If you have severe symptoms, call 911.
Mental health can also be affected by the pandemic, and resources are available to help.
In eastern Ontario:
Anyone seeking a test should make an appointment. Check with your health unit for clinic locations and hours.
Ontario recommends only getting tested if you fit certain criteria, such as having symptoms, exposure or a certain job.
People without symptoms but who are part of the province's targeted testing strategy can make an appointment at select pharmacies. Shoppers Drug Mart stores can now offer rapid tests.
Travellers who need a test have very few local options to pay for one.
In western Quebec:
Tests are strongly recommended for people with symptoms and their contacts.
People can make an appointment and check wait times online.
Call 1-877-644-4545 with questions, including if walk-in testing is available nearby.
First Nations, Inuit and Métis:
First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, or someone travelling to work in a remote Indigenous community, are eligible for a test in Ontario.
Akwesasne has a COVID-19 test site by appointment only. Anyone in Tyendinaga who's interested in a test can call 613-967-3603
People in Pikwakanagan can book a COVID-19 test by calling 613-625-1175 and in Kitigan Zibi, 819-449-5593.
Inuit in Ottawa can call the Akausivik Inuit Family Health Team at 613-740-0999 for service, including testing and vaccines, in Inuktitut or English on weekdays.
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