Ottawa Public Health continues to research and publish information regarding the impacts of COVID-19 within our community. The week of August 10th, OPH published a report regarding the impact of COVID-19 on racialized communities. OPH has found that areas with a high proportion of racialized communities and high material deprivation have higher rates of COVID-19 compared to areas with a lower proportion of racialized communities or lower material deprivation.
The full report can be accessed on the OPH website:
- COVID-19 in Ottawa –The relation to racialized communities and deprivation [PDF 290 k]
- La COVID-19 à Ottawa – Le lien avec des communautés racialisées et la précarité [PDF 290 kb]
In addition, OPH has published the June 2020 data regarding the Perceptions of Seriousness, Risk and Sources of Concern for COVID-19 and Support for Leadership during COVID-19.
Some key findings included in these reports are:
- The majority of Ottawa residents (82%) consider the COVID-19 pandemic to be extremely or very serious. This is lower than what was reported in late March (94%) at the start of the pandemic.
- Overall, the majority of residents agree that the City of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health are doing a good job of providing up-to-date information during the COVID-19 response and doing everything it can to protect the health of residents.
Also on August 18th at 2:00 pm, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) released new Ward data on confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ottawa.
This data includes information on cumulative cases per Ward – that is, the number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population since the beginning of the pandemic in Ottawa.
It’s important to understand that this is not a map of “COVID-19 hot spots” in Ottawa, but rather a map showing cumulative rates of COVID-19 cases and their distribution by Ward.
OPH would like to remind all residents that COVID-19 remains present in every single community within Ottawa. Wards are administrative boundaries and do not reflect the natural ebb and flow of Ottawa residents within the municipality nor the communities in which they live, work, play and raise their families.
The Ward data is based on the place of residence of Ottawans with confirmed COVID-19 and does not necessarily reflect where the disease was contracted. Exposure to COVID-19 can occur anywhere people congregate, such as workplaces, essential services or other establishments open to the public. The best way to limit exposure to COVID-19 is through practice physical distancing, limiting close contacts to your immediate family, and frequent hand washing.
Urban areas tend to have higher population density, which can present conditions more favourable to transmission. Further, social determinants of health, such as income and ethnicity, can contribute to differences in disease prevalence and health behaviours. Ontarians who tested positive for COVID-19 were more likely to live in lower-income neighbourhoods or neighbourhoods with a higher percentage of racialized groups and recent immigrants.
You can view the new Ward data on OPH’s website.
OPH continues to work with the health care sector and community partners to ensure we support the needs of at-risk populations.
