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There are now 19 confirmed and indeterminate cases combined of COVID-19 in Ottawa and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches says there are most likely many dozens, even hundreds, more — up to 2,000 cases in Ottawa alone.

Two new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa were announced by the province Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the city to 16. One is a man in his 40s and the other a woman in her 60s. Both cases are related to European travel. They are self-isolating.

Ottawa Public Health also said there are three additional indeterminate cases, for which final testing has not been completed. It can take up to four or five days to complete testing. One patient, whose COVID-19 diagnosis is indeterminate, has been hospitalized.

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“Indeterminate” means that the first of two tests for COVID-19 came back positive, Etches explained. The first test is sensitive and designed to screen out cases where COVID-19 is not present. The second test serves to confirm positive results.

In addition to an assessment centre at Brewer arena, which has been seeing more than 400 people a day, one or two more assessment centres may be ready to launch within a week, Etches said. There could be a slightly different model for those sites, she added, with a potential emphasis on clinical care, depending on the need for testing.