28 new COVID-19 cases logged in Waterloo Region on Friday; active cases rising
Health officials in Waterloo Region reported 28 new COVID-19 cases on Friday as active cases continue to rise for the second day in a row.
Of the 28 new cases, 25 are linked to Thursday while three are from a previous reporting period. The latest cases bring Waterloo Region's total case load to 18,368, including 282 deaths and 17,943 resolved infections.
Active cases jumped by 14 in the past 24 hours, up to 133.
Hospitalizations also rose by two in Friday's update, now sitting at 15. Of those, 11 people are receiving treatment in area intensive care units.
There are currently six active COVID-19 outbreaks across the region.
Health partners have processed 541,773 COVID-19 tests since the pandemic began. As of Friday, the region's positivity rate sits at 1.9 per cent, with the reproductive rate of the virus is up to 0.9.
Another 63 infections were confirmed as variant of concern cases in Waterloo Region, all of which were linked to the Delta variant. Since the pandemic began, 4,746 cases have been confirmed as variants of concern.
The 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
- 1,250 are the Delta variant, first found in India and previously called B.1.617
- 257 cases have had a mutation detected, but have not yet had a variant strain confirmed
Meanwhile, health partners in Waterloo Region put 4,586 COVID-19 vaccine jabs into arms on Thursday, bringing the total number of doses administered to 758,343.
More than 69 per cent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated, while 82.85 per cent of residents 12 and older have received at least one dose.
Waterloo Region public health will not be updating its COVID-19 dashboard on Monday because of the holiday.
Province-wide, heath officials confirmed 226 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, marking the fifth day in a row of rising infection numbers.
Ontario's lab-confirmed COVID-19 case total is now 550,178, including 539,348 recoveries and 9,339 deaths related to the disease.
With files from CTV Toronto.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING Police make arrests in grandparent scam that defrauded victims out of $739K
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Calgary man charged with manslaughter in death of toddler
Calgary police say Winston Campbell, 45, has been charged in the death of a two-year-old girl in 2022.
'Wild, wild west.' Families say organs of deceased Alabama inmates have been removed without their consent
The state Department of Corrections and the University of Alabama at Birmingham face disturbing allegations from the families of five inmates whose organs were removed and reportedly kept without consent, according to a series of lawsuits.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed from Trump hush money trial as prosecutors seek to hold former president in contempt
A juror in Donald Trump's hush money trial was dismissed Thursday after expressing doubt about her ability to be fair and impartial, and the status of a second New Yorker picked for the panel was in limbo amid concerns that some of his answers in court may not have been accurate.