May 11 COVID-19 update: Ottawa’s youngest fatality, Trudeau: Restrictions won’t ease yet, Ontario to mix doses

OTTAWA – Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is reporting the youngest death due to COVID-19 yet after a person in their 20s passed away due to the coronavirus.

That’s one of two local COVID-19-related deaths recorded yesterday (May 10). The other death was a resident in their 80s. There have been 527 deaths linked to the novel coronavirus in Ottawa since March of 2020. The following is a breakdown of the deceased by age group: one in their 20s; one in their 30s; five in their 40s; 16 in their 50s; 58 in their 60s; 95 in their 70s; 189 in their 80s; and 162 in their 90s.

OPH is confirming 67 new cases of COVID-19 in the city today (May 11).

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations is up slightly to 76, with 20 patients in intensive care units.

OPH has cleared a few COVID-19 community outbreaks from its dashboard, but has also added a couple institutional outbreaks. There are 21 COVID-19 outbreaks at healthcare institutions, including a new one at The Ottawa Hospital Riverside Campus’ Dialysis Unit. Seven local childcare centres are still dealing with outbreaks of the virus. OPH says it’s also monitoring two community outbreaks stemming from social events and two from retail workplaces.

Ottawa’s weekly COVID-19 incidence rate is down to 75.3 per 100,000 residents, according to the health unit. The provincial ‘red-control’ zone threshold is 40 per 100,000.

The city’s COVID-19 positivity rate remains at 6.4 per cent.

The City of Ottawa has administered 96 per cent of the 391,930 COVID-19 vaccines it’s received to date. The health unit updates local vaccination figures on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

OPH says it knows of 1,285 active cases of the novel coronavirus in Ottawa.

There have been 25,513 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa (23,701 resolved) since March of 2020.

Ontario is reporting 2,073 new cases of COVID-19, Tuesday, including three in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit’s area, two in the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark district and two in Renfrew County and district.

Trudeau says progress made not enough to reduce restrictions

CANADA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says progress is being made nationwide with more Canadians receiving vaccines, but public health measures aren’t poised to be eased until COVID-19 case counts are down and at least 75 per cent of the country has had at least one shot of an approved vaccination.

Speaking in Ottawa today (May 11), Trudeau said Canada can have a “one dose summer” that will, in turn set the country up for “a two-dose fall.”

Once that happens, the Prime Minister admitted it is then “we’ll be able to talk about going back to school, back to work, and back to more normality.”

“Almost 50 per cent of eligible adults have received at least one shot,” Trudeau said. “Canada is in the top three countries of the G20 in terms of daily vaccinations. By the summer, we’ll have enough vaccines so that every eligible Canadians will have gotten their first dose.”

Almost 40 per cent of Canadians have been vaccinated to date with at least one dose and government officials have said at least 75 per cent need to be vaccinated to get close to herd immunity against COVID-19.

About 85 per cent of vaccine doses given out as of May 1 were Pfizer or Moderna and more than 88 per cent of doses expected in the next two months are the same.

Trudeau reiterated his promise Canadians over the age of 12 should have access to their first dose before the end of June.

The news comes as Ontario’s science advisors say the province could safely reopen many outdoor recreational facilities even if it extends a stay-at-home order in the coming weeks.

The scientific director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table says outdoor activities like golf, tennis and beach volleyball are low risk.

Ontario to mix doses

ONTARIO – Ontario has become the latest province to signal it will likely mix COVID-19 vaccine brands as the country prepares for a flood of Pfizer and Moderna shots while some doctors questioned further use of Oxford-AstraZeneca.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said yesterday (May 10) it’s likely Ontarians who have received a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine may get a different shot for their second dose.

“We don’t have a supply date for more AstraZeneca, so it’s very likely we will need to mix the different products together,” she said.

Elliott said the province is waiting for the results from a United Kingdom study on mixing different vaccines and on advice from a federal immunization panel.

“I expect that should come very soon because there are some people who are coming up in terms of times for their second shot,” Elliott said.