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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.