KITCHENER -- The number of active known COVID-19 cases in Waterloo Region dropped by almost half on Thursday as officials reported that 15 more people had recovered.
According to the region's dashboard, there were no new cases of the virus reported. In fact, the total number of cases in the region actually dropped one to 1,394. Region of Waterloo Public Health officials say that one case was transferred to another public health unit, dropping the region's total by one.
It’s the sixth time in under two weeks that officials reported no new cases, a milestone that took the region from March to mid-July to accomplish.
The total case number includes 1,255 resolved cases and 119 deaths.
That leaves just 20 active cases, down from 36 active cases reported on Wednesday. Of those, just one person is in hospital after weeks of hospitalized cases in the double digits.
The news comes after St. Mary's General Hospital reported that it had no COVID-19 patients for the first time in months.
There are still two ongoing outbreaks in Waterloo Region, both in long-term care homes. A. R. Goudie is dealing with its second outbreak after a resident tested positive, while Columbia Forest LTC declared an outbreak back on July 23 after a staff member got the virus.
There are no other outbreaks at congregate settings, workplaces or hospitals.
As a whole, Ontario's public health officials reported 95 new lab-confirmed cases on Thursday, the fourth consecutive day where fewer than 100 cases were reported.
There are now 39,809 total cases of the virus in Ontario. That includes 35,906 resolved cases—more than 90 per cent—and 2,783 deaths.
