Another 61 COVID-19 cases reported in Waterloo Region
Region of Waterloo Public Health is reporting 61 new cases of COVID-19, continuing a trend of rising infections officials say could put moving into step two of the province's reopening plan on hold.
The Saturday afternoon online dashboard update also shows 57 more cases now considered resolved and the active case count drop by one.
There have been no new related deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
Three more people have been hospitalized with the virus, with two more being treated in area ICUs.
Health officials have identified ten more cases as variants of concern, with three being the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7, first detected in the U.K.) and seven as the Delta (B.1.617, first detected in India).
On Friday, the public health unit confirmed that the Delta variant is now the dominant strain in Waterloo Region.
The number of active facility outbreaks in the area remains unchanged.
This brings the Waterloo Region COVID-19 totals to 16,975 confirmed cases, 16,170 resolved, 259 deaths, 527 active cases, 57 hospitalized, 20 in the ICU, nine active outbreaks, 3,527 variants of concern, 3,066 Alphas, 83 Deltas, 11 Beta variants (B.1.351, first detected in South Africa), and 60 Gamma variants (P.1., first detected in Brazil).
OVER 9,000 COVID-19 DEATHS IN ONTARIO
In Ontario, health officials logged 355 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 more deaths, bringing the province's death toll to 9,007.
The province, which records COVID-19 cases at a different rate of time than the local health officials, also reported that 54 cases were in Waterloo Region. Only Toronto had more cases in the past 24 hours at 58.
On Wednesday and Friday, Waterloo Region had the most cases in the province.
The seven-day average rate of cases per 100,000 people for Ontario currently sits at 2.3. Meanwhile, Waterloo Region's rate is 10.5.
VACCINATION EFFORTS RAMP UP
Speeding up second dose COVID-19 vaccinations in Waterloo Region was the focus of Friday's Public Health briefing.
The least vaccine numbers for the area show just over 73 per cent of adults having received their first shot, with 16 per cent fully vaccinated.
For Toronto, Saturday marked a milestone of 75 per cent of residents now having received their first dose and 25 per cent being fully vaccinated.
At Breslau Pharmacy and Wellness Centre, more second doses have been administered in the past few weeks, and more are expected in the coming weeks.
"I think we've got the first two, three weeks if not the next month fully booked," said pharmacist Khrystine Waked. "Pharmacists are obviously very available throughout the region, very conveniently located in many different neighbourhoods, so it's more of a conveience factor for patients to pop into their pharmacy and get their shots much quicker so we can be all protected."
Waterloo Region's vaccination task force has also added a pop-up clinic at Public Health headquarters in Waterloo for the weekend. The 400 appointments that were available were booked shortly after being opened.
The task force says they will be soon offer more mobile clinics, extended hours as the mass vaccination clinic, and a self appointment booking system expected to launch Monday to help people move up their second dose appointments.
With reporting from CTV Kitchener's Krista Simpson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.