What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, Jan. 15

Recent developments:

• Ottawa is reporting 148 newCOVID-19 cases and four more deaths.
• Pfizer is temporarily reducing the number of vaccines it's sending to Canada.
• The city is opening a second isolation centre for men to meet growing demand.

What's the latest?

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is reporting 148 newCOVID-19 cases and four more deaths Friday.

The city's bylaw department issued two charges for indoor social gatherings on the first day of the province's stay-at-homeorder, along with three warnings two for mask violations, one for a non-essential business staying open.

Asecond isolation centre for men will soon open ata hostel on Nicholas Street near the Rideau Centre.

The city saysthere's growing demand for beds, especially ones that are closer to other services than theexisting isolation centre the Canada Science and Technology Museum.

Shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccineto Canada will be cut in half for the next four weeks because of expansion work at Pfizer's factory in Belgium. Shipments areexpected to be back on trackby the end of March, and officials say the delaywon'tinterfere withCanada's immunization goals.

How many cases are there?

In Ottawa, 12,027people havetested positive for COVID-19as its spread reaches a record high. There are 1,261known active cases, 10,364resolved cases and 402deaths fromCOVID-19.

Public health officials have reported more than21,600 COVID-19 cases across eastern Ontario and western Quebec, including more than18,600 resolved cases.

A hundred and threepeople have died ofCOVID-19elsewhere in eastern Ontarioand 139people have died in western Quebec.

CBC Ottawa is profilingthose who've died of COVID-19. If you'd like to share your loved one's story, pleaseget in touch.

What can I do?

Ontariosayspeople need to only leave home when essentialto avoidmoreCOVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

People who leave home for non-essential reasons can now be fined, though police won't be stopping people just for being outside.

Travel within Ontario is not recommended.Residents who leave the provinceshould isolate for 14 days upon returning.

Private indoor gatherings are not allowed, whileoutdoorgatherings can't have more than five people and it's strongly recommended people stick to their households.

People who live alone are still allowed to interact with one other household.

Outdoor recreation venues remain open.

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In-person shoppingis limited to essential businesses. Otherscan offerpickup and delivery.

The province will announce by Wednesday which schools can offer general in-person learning. The Ottawa-Carleton School Board has said it won't bring that back for secondary schools until at least Feb. 1.

• Ontario special education classes can continue in person, but concerns about safety persist

Child-care centres remain open.

The lockdown rules are in placeuntil at leastFeb. 11.

In western Quebec, residents are also asked not to leave home unless it's essential and not see anyone they don't live with, with an exception for people living alone who can visit one other home.

Quebec's 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfewis now in effect, with fines of up to $6,000 for breaking the rules.

The province hasshut downnon-essential businessesand hasextendedsecondary school closures until next week.

Travel from one region to another is discouraged throughout Quebec.

Those rules arein place until Feb. 8.

Distancing and isolating

The novel coronavirus primarily spreads through droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, breathes or speaks onto someone or something. These dropletscan hang in the air.

People can be contagious without symptoms.

This means people should take precautions such as staying home when they have symptoms, keeping hands and frequently touched surfaces clean and maintaining distance from anyone they don't live with even with a mask on.

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Masks, preferably with three layers, aremandatory in indoor public settingsin Ontarioand Quebecand should be wornoutdoors when people can't distance from others.

OPH says residents should wear masks outside their homes whenever possible.

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Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms should self-isolate, as should those who've beenordered to do so by their public health unit. The lengthvaries inOntarioandQuebec.

Health Canada recommends older adults and people with underlying medical conditions and/or weakened immune systems stay home as much as possible and get friends and family to help with errands.

Anyone returning to Canadamust go straight homeand stay there for 14 days. Air travellershave to show recent proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

Symptoms and vaccines

COVID-19can range from a cold-like illnessto a severe lung infection, with common symptoms including fever, a cough, vomiting and loss of taste or smell.Children candevelop a rash.

If you have severe symptoms, call 911.

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Mental healthcan also beaffected by the pandemicandresources are available to help.

COVID-19 vaccineshave beengiven tohealth-care workersand long-term care residents in most of the Ottawa-Gatineau area.

• Kitigan Zibi chief frustrated by lack of vaccine commitment

The exception for now is Renfrew County, which says it expects its first doses early next month.

Ontario wants every long-term care resident and worker to have at least one shot by Feb. 15. Ottawa's mayor said Jan. 15 that was expected to happen by the end of that dayin his city.

In Ontario, it's expected that vaccination will expand topriority groups such as older adults and essential workersinApril, and potentially even March, with vaccines widely available to the publicin August.

Ottawa believes it can have nearly 700,000 residents vaccinated by then.

Quebec has asomewhat controversial policy of givinga single dose toas many people as possible rather than giving fewer people two doses. It says people willget their second dose within 90 days.

As of Jan. 14,western Quebec's health authorityhad given out about 4,400 doses. It says it will have reached all of its long-term care homes by early next week.

Where to get tested

In eastern Ontario:

Anyone seeking a testshouldbook an appointment.

Ontariorecommends only getting testedif you have symptoms,if you've been told to by your health unit or the province, orif you fit certain other criteria.

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People without symptomsbut part of the province's targeted testing strategycan make an appointment at select pharmacies. Travellers who need a test have very few local options to pay for one.

Ottawa has10 permanent test sites, with mobile siteswherever demand is particularly high.

TheEastern Ontario Health Unithas sites in Cornwall, Hawkesbury, Rockland and Winchester. ItsAlexandria and Casselman sites are temporarily closed.

People canarrange a testin Picton over the phoneor Bancroft, Belleville and Trenton, where online booking is preferred.

TheLeeds, Grenville and Lanarkhealth unit has permanent sites in Almonte, Brockville,Kemptvilleand Smiths Falls and a mobileclinic.

Renfrew Countytest clinic locationsare posted weekly. Residentscanalso call their family doctor or 1-844-727-6404 with health questions.

Kingston's main test site is at theBeechgrove Complex,another is in Napanee.

In western Quebec:

Tests are strongly recommended for people with symptoms and their contacts.

Outaouais residentscan make an appointment in Gatineauat 135 blvd. Saint-Raymond or 617 ave.Buckingham. They cancheck thewait timefor the Saint-Raymond site.

There arerecurring clinics by appointmentin communities such as Maniwaki,Fort-Coulonge and Petite-Nation.

Call 1-877-644-4545 with questions, including if walk-in testing is available nearby.

First Nations, Inuit and Mtis:

Akwesasnehas had 116residents test positive on the Canadian side of the border, 25 of them active cases, and five deaths. More than 230people have tested positive across the community.

• COVID-19 in Indigenous communities: total cases in First Nations surpass 11,000

Itscurfew from 11 p.m. to5 a.m. is back and ithasa COVID-19 test siteby appointment only.

Anyone returning to the community on the Canadian side of the international border who's been farther than 160 kilometres away or visited Montreal for non-essential reasonsis asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

Kitigan Zibilogged its first case in mid-December and has had a total of 18. TheMohawks of the Bay of Quintehad its only confirmed casein November.

People inPikwakanagancan book a COVID-19 test by calling 613-625-2259.Anyone inTyendinagawho's interested in a test can call 613-967-3603.

Inuit in Ottawa can call the Akausivik Inuit Family Health Team at 613-740-0999 for service, including testing, in Inuktitut or English on weekdays.

For more information

• Ottawa Public Health.
• Your localeastern Ontario health unit.
• TheOntario Ministry of Health(in several languages).
• TheCentre intgr de sant et de services sociaux de l'Outaouais.
• ThePublic Health Agency of Canada.