Region's COVID-19 ICU admissions remain at zero, Waterloo LTC reports large outbreak

For the third week in a row, the Region of Waterloo is reporting no current Intensive Care Unit (ICU) hospitalizations relating to COVID-19.

The region is also reporting no new COVID-19-related deaths in this week’s dashboard update.

The current COVID-19 situation in Waterloo region on May 5, 2023. (Region of Waterloo)

The update comes the same day the World Health Organization (WHO) said COVID-19 is no longer global health emergency.

The WHO first declared an emergency in 2020, after COVID-19 was first discovered in Wuhan, China.

Since then, nearly 7 million people have lost their lives to COVID-19, and more than 765 million cases have been confirmed globally.

"Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. I've accepted that advice. It's therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The WHO's emergency committee first declared that COVID represented its highest level of alert more than three years ago, on Jan. 30 2020.

According to the Government of Canada, just over 52,000 Canadians died throughout the pandemic.

Quebec saw the highest number of COVID-19-related deaths at 17,765, followed by Ontario with 16,472 and Alberta with 5,699.

The province or territory with the lowest reported COVID-19-related deaths was Nunavut with seven, followed by Northwest Territories with 22 and Yukon with 32.

In the Region of Waterloo, 518 people are reported to have died from COVID-19 since March 2020.

The cumulative number of deaths in Waterloo region linked to COVID-19. (Region of Waterloo)

“We welcome the news that the WHO has declared the COVID-19 pandemic no longer an emergency. It’s a great milestone in the pandemic journey,” the Grand River Hospital said in a statement. “At Grand River Hospital, we’ve seen fewer patients with COVID-19 coming in, which is encouraging – as of today at 11:45 a.m., we have 636 patients staying in hospital, and just 8 of them have COVID-19. As we move forward, we continue to encourage people to take measures like good hand hygiene and getting their COVID-19 booster vaccines, so we can keep moving in a positive direction.”

The medical officer of health in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Dr. Nicola Mercer said the impacts of COVID-19 may not be as severe as they were three years ago, but the pandemic is still far from over.

“People who are seniors, over the age of 65 with underlying medical conditions, unfortunately, we still continue to see people hospitalized. Some people die,” Dr. Mercer said.

“We actually have to learn to sort of come to a middle ground. We don’t want to be super scared of COVID, not leave our house. At the same time, we can’t ignore it and say it doesn’t exist.”

OUTBREAKS STILL OCCURING

The number of active outbreaks in high-risk settings has jumped in the last week, with the region reporting seven current outbreaks. This is an increase of four from last week.

Of these outbreaks, six are at long-term care homes and one is in a congregate settings - a category that includes shelters, group homes and correctional facilities.

The number of COVID-19 cases found in outbreaks in Waterloo region on May 5, 2023. (Region of Waterloo)

Luther Village on the Park Sunshine is currently reporting 35 COVID-19 cases, of which, four are in staff and 31 are non-staff cases.

Revera Columbia Forest Long Term Care Home is reporting the second-highest COVID-19 cases with 15, of which, two are in staff and 13 are non-staff cases.

With files from CTV News