KITCHENER -- Region of Waterloo Public Health officials reported nine new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the largest increase in more than three weeks.
Case numbers had been relatively stable through July, staying mostly under five new ones per day since the start of the month. There was one exception earlier this week, when officials reported six cases on Monday.
There have now been a total of 1,378 cases of COVID-19 in the region, including 1,207 resolved cases and 119 deaths. That leaves 52 active cases, three more than there were on Thursday.
Officials reported that another 1,212 tests had been done since Tuesday, for an average of 404 per day.
They also reported one new outbreak in a long-term care home.
PeopleCare Hilltop Manor had been the only outbreak since July 13, but on Friday, officials reported that a staff member at Columbia Forest LTC had tested positive for the virus.
There is now one staff member at each facility that has tested positive.
Twelve people in the region—or about 23 per cent of active cases—are currently hospitalized, the region's COVID-19 dashboard shows.
Across the province on Friday, health officials reported nearly 200 new cases of the virus.
Most of them were in people under 40, while 27 new cases were reported in Ottawa and 57 were reported in Windsor-Essex.
There have been 38,405 cases of the virus in Ontario, including 34,100 resolved cases and 2,758 deaths.
