1 hospitalized for COVID-19 in Ottawa

One person in Ottawa with COVID-19 is now in hospital, health officials with the city said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

There are 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the city, and all cases are either travel-related or people who came into contact with someone who recently travelled, said Ottawa's medical officer of healthVera Etches on Tuesday.

"Unfortunately one case is now hospitalized," Etches confirmed.

She said the person was in their 60s, had travelled outside Canada and was a case that she had previously reported.

There have been no new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ottawa for 24 hours, according to the daily 10:30 a.m. update from Ontario's Ministry of Health.

Stay home if you can: OPH

Among the 13 people in Ottawa infected areSophie Grgoire Trudeau,a City of Ottawa employee at 100 Constellation Dr.and three employees oftech company Ciena in Kanata.

To prevent therespiratory illness from spreading widely and rapidly, everyoneshould practisesocial distancingor be in social isolation if they meet the criteria, Etches said.

"We need to act early, we need to act now to reduce the chance that our health-care system will become overwhelmed," she said.

Public health officials are still focused on travellers coming from other countries,including the United States,who may be infected. All people arriving from outside Canada are now asked to self-isolate for two weeks, monitor symptoms and consult the Ottawa Public Health website.

"The risk of becoming infected outside of Canada is higher," Etchessaid. "We know that there will be many more residents returning home from travel in the coming days."

Ottawans who have spentextensive time with a recent traveller or cared for a recent traveller are also asked to self-isolate, she said.

"By social distancing and social isolating if you meet the criteria, you could be saving lives the life of a parent, neighbour, a grandparent, a coworker. Stay home if you are able to."

Situation in Ontario

As of Tuesday afternoon, there are 189confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario, with five more cases deemed "resolved," or no longer considered contagious. Most cases of the virus, including 92 per cent in Ontario, can be traced to travel, provincial officials said.

The respiratory illness with cold- or flu-like symptoms has no treatment or vaccine.

Older people, those with compromised immune systems and those with underlying medical problems such as high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes are more likely to develop serious, sometimes fatalcomplications.

• What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa for Tuesday, March 17

Elsewhere in eastern Ontario, a woman in her 30s tested positive at the Glengarry Memorial Hospital in Alexandria, Ont., over the weekend.

There have also been eightCOVID-19 cases in theTrenton, Ont., quarantine for returning cruise ship passengersand one in a person who visitedMont-Laurier, Que.

Quebec has 50 confirmed cases and Canada has 424 as of the last national update.

Five people have now died, four of them linked to acare home in B.C.