KITCHENER -- The number of local cases of COVID- has increased to 327, Region of Waterloo Public Health reported on Monday morning.
That figure is current as of 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The new total is up 53 cases from the 274 that were reported on Sunday morning.
The cases include 106 resolved ones and 11 deaths.
During the region's news conference on Monday, Acting Medical Officer Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said they are counting all deaths where a person was COVID-19 positive, even if the virus wasn't the primary cause of death.
Dr. Wang says that three of the deaths occurred over the weekend. All three were over the age of 70 and had pre-existing medical conditions, she says.
One of those was a resident at Forest Heights Revera, one of 12 long-term care homes in the region dealing with an outbreak.
On the region's website, public health officials say that the symptom onset date is a more accurate representation of the epidemic in the area.
That's because there can be a one- to two-week lag from when someone gets sick to when the case is reported to public health.
According to the graph on the region's website, the biggest single-day increase in symptom onset was on April 10, when 32 cases reported showing symptoms.
That number, current as of April 13, is subject to change as public health officials continue to get more information.
By the numbers
- Cases in healthcare workers: 100
- Cases currently in hospital: 27
- Cases ever hospitalized: 59
- Cases linked to long-term care or retirement homes: 88
- Deaths in those settings: four
- New cases since Sunday: 55
Dr. Wang says that the region has increased its testing capabilities. She expects that the case numbers will continue to increase as more people are tested, especially in long-term care and retirement homes.
On Monday, Ontario reported another 421 cases of COVID-19, bringing the total in the province to 7,470.
Of those, 3,357 people have recovered, while 291 people have died.
