Tuesday was a bad day for COVID-19 cases in Ottawa. On April 28, the capital city had its largest single-day increase in novel coronavirus cases, with 67 new diagnoses. It was also the deadliest day for the city since the pandemic began, as twelve people died.

Despite positive signs that the curve is flattening in Canada, Tuesday was a record-breaking day for COVID-19 cases in Ottawa. 

On April 28, the city announced its biggest jump in the number of cases and deaths since the pandemic began. In one day, 67 new cases were confirmed, and 12 people died.

Ottawa Public Health also confirmed 1,221 total cases of novel coronavirus in the capital. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 71 people have died.

Many of the people who have died are residents of long-term care homes, many of which have seen significant COVID-19 outbreaks.

As of Wednesday morning, long-term care facilities account for 455 of Ottawa’s confirmed cases, and 52 deaths related to the virus.

However, it’s not all bad news.

Ottawa Public Health did confirm that an additional 28 people have now recovered from the respiratory illness, taking the total number of resolved cases to 529.

This equates to approximately 43% of the city’s total confirmed cases.

In a statement earlier this week, Ottawa’s Medical Officer of Health explained that surveillance testing has begun in nine of the city’s long-term care homes.

This is part of a provincial directive, that aims to take control of outbreaks in the region’s care facilities.

Ensuring this is managed is necessary before we can start returning to normal, according to the World Health Organization’s guide.

Across the rest of the country, some provinces are already making plans to start reopening.

Despite having the most cases of COVID-19 in Canada, Quebec Premier Francois Legault confirmed on Tuesday that the region would be restarting their economy next week.

Over in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, similar plans are being made.

While Doug Ford is yet to make any promises in Ontario, Mayor Jim Watson did promise the Ottawa Farmers’ Market would go ahead this summer, no matter what!

Despite Tuesday’s bad COVID-19 news, there’s still plenty of positive signs in the capital city.

Since April 14, the number of people in intensive care units with the virus has consistently dropped in Ottawa. While there was once 17 people needing around-the-clock care, this has since dropped to just 6 people.

*This article’s cover image is for illustrative purposes only.