18 COVID-19 cases added in Waterloo Region on Wednesday as hospitalizations decline
Health officials in Waterloo Region reported 18 new COVID-19 cases in Wednesday's update as hospitalizations drop.
Of the 18 new cases, 16 are linked to the past 24 hours, while two are from previous reporting periods.
The latest confirmed infections bring Waterloo Region's total caseload to 18,320, including 17,916 resolved cases, 114 active infections and 282 deaths.
Hospitalizations dropped by four in the past day, down from 17 to 13. Of those, 11 people are receiving treatment in area intensive care units.
One more outbreak was declared in the region, with a total of eight COVID-19 outbreaks now considered active.
In Wednesday's report, another 93 infections were confirmed as variant of concern cases, with 89 identified as the Delta variant. Waterloo Region has confirmed 4,672 variant of concern infections since the pandemic began.
Waterloo Region's variant breakdown is as follows:
- 3,122 are the Alpha variant, first identified in the United Kingdom and originally known as B.1.1.7
- 21 are the Beta variant, originally detected in South Africa and previously referred to as B.1.315
- 96 are the Gamma variant, initially discovered in Brazil and labelled as P.1
- 1,172 are the Delta variant, first found in India and previously called B.1.617
- 261 cases have had a mutation detected, but have not yet had a variant strain confirmed
Meanwhile, health partners in the area put another 4,567 vaccine jabs into arms on Tuesday. Across Waterloo Region, 749,124 vaccine doses have been administered.
More than 82.5 per cent of residents 12 and older have now received at least one dose, while 67.52 per cent of the eligible population are fully vaccinated.
On Wednesday, 158 COVID-19 cases and four deaths were confirmed across Ontario.
The seven-day rolling average of daily COVID-19 cases now stands at about 160, up from 155 the previous week.
There have been 549,734 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 identified in the province since the pandemic began.
With files from CTV Toronto.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.