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Summary

Ottawa's Top Doc Says The City Has Entered A Second Wave Of COVID-19

"We can't sustain a rapid rise in cases."
Ottawa's Top Doc Says The City Has Entered A Second Wave Of COVID-19
Vlad Ghiea | Dreamstime
Contributor

Even as restrictions were loosened and daily numbers were improving, the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 in Canada was always looming. Ottawa's top doctor has said the city is now officially seeing one. She added that there could be trouble if cases rise too quickly.

Following a September 18 meeting with Premier Doug Ford, Ottawa's medical officer of health, Dr. Vera Etches, was asked by CTV News Ottawa reporter Christina Succi if the city is in a second wave.

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"Yes," she replied, adding, "we're seeing a rise in cases and it's the speed of the increase that concerns us."

"We can't sustain a rapid rise in cases, we need to be able to keep it to a manageable level."

Dr. Etches has faith in the people of Ottawa, though, saying that she thinks they will do what they can to flatten the curve again.

"They did it in the first wave, but they did it in July as well," she said, "When we started to see an increase in July it came back down when people increased their distance between each other."

The doctor added, though, that people got a little too relaxed in August in regards to getting together.

In an attempt to curb this issue, Ontario has set the highest fines in the country for illegal gatherings.

Ottawa Public Health tweeted their own response to Dr. Etches's assertion regarding a second wave.

"This news should not come as a surprise..." they wrote, "and neither should this: you already know what to do. Wear a mask, stay home if you're sick, maintain distancing & wash your hands."

"Remember: limiting close contacts = reducing COVID-19 transmission. This virus is not stronger than us."

Ottawa has been dealing with rising COVID-19 numbers recently. On September 14, the city reported its highest daily new case count since early May, with 61 being reported.

There have also been outbreaks at 15 different elementary and high schools within Canada's capital.

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    • Colin Leggett
      Colin Leggett was a Contributing Editor with Narcity Canada. He wrote on the national news team for over a year and contributed to coverage of the 2019 Canadian Federal Election, as well as the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Colin has a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and Cultural Theory from McMaster University, as well as a graduate certificate in Television Writing and Producing from Humber College. He is an avid consumer of politics and pop culture, having written about everything from food to television to Canada-U.S. relations.

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