OTTAWA – Active COVID-19 cases are creeping up again even as Ottawa’s daily number of cases stabilizes.

Over the last week and a half COVID-19 cases have been slowly climbing in Ottawa, according to Ottawa Public Health (OPH), as the agency reports another local death linked to the virus and 38 new cases across the city today (Dec. 7).

The city’s active case count had lowered to 259 on Nov. 26 after a Thanksgiving spike but has been going up ever since. Today it stands at 413.

Local COVID-19 hospitalizations are up to 32, with one patient in intensive care.

Ottawa deaths related to the coronavirus now sits at 381.

Institutional outbreaks remain stable, with no new ones being reported today. There are 26 institutional outbreaks, including three schools. OPH is also tracking four community outbreaks, all stemming from workplaces.

There have been 8,801 lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Ottawa since March, of which 8,007 have been resolved.