Key COVID-19 numbers in the Ottawa area today

• Ottawa is reporting 196 newCOVID-19 cases and one more death.
• The city has tied or surpassedseveral recordsincluding hospitalizations for COVID-19.
• For the fifth time in two weeks, the Outaouaishas broken itsrecord for new cases.

Today's Ottawa update

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) recorded 196 more COVID-19caseson Wednesday. Another 121 cases areconsidered resolved, and there has been one more death.

There are currently 1,926 known active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, just one of severalrecords set during this third wave,which featuresmore dangerous coronavirus variants.

Ontario is undera provincewide shutdownuntil at least early May, andanother stay-at-home orderis expected to go into effectThursday.

Ottawa's medical officer of health hadasked the provinceto strengthen restrictions,and isn't ruling outimplementing certain changes on her own.

Numbers to watch

132.1:The weekly incidence rate, therolling seven-day total of new COVID-19 cases expressed per 100,000 residents, has risen well above the previous record of 98reached in January.

8.8%: The percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive, the highest sinceApril 2020.

11.77%:The percentage of the more than 2,000 COVID-19 tests on Monday that came back positive. That ties the daily record from April 6, 2020, when there were fewer than 250 tests performed.

69:The number of Ottawa residents being treated in hospital forCOVID-19passestherecord of 63set in late April 2020.

20:The number of thosepatients currently in intensive care ties the highreached in mid-April 2020.

1.06:The number of people infected by a single COVID-19 case, or R(t). Thespread of the coronavirusis considered under control if that figure is kept below one.It's been above one forfour weeks.

142,940:The number of Ottawa residents whohave received their first vaccine dose, an increase of more than 11,000 since Monday.

25,189:The number of Ottawa residents who have received both vaccine doses.

Across the region

Case totals in the Outaouaishave also been breaking recordsas restrictions there are tightened, particularly in the Gatineau area.

The region's health authorityreported 178 more cases Wednesday, breaking Friday's daily record of 143 cases. Its daily record untilMarch 26 was 75 cases, a numberit's now surpassed on five separate days.

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, whichis experiencing what its medical officer of health callsan "unprecedented" rise in cases, reported 27 new ones on Wednesday.

The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit is reporting another 13 cases.