Waterloo Region adds 15 new COVID-19 cases; suspected Delta cases now being reported
Waterloo Region added 15 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, as the health unit logged hundreds of confirmed or suspected Delta variant cases as part of a reporting update.
Of the 15 new infections, 12 are linked to the past day and three are from previous reporting periods.
Six of the latest cases are in youth between the ages of 10 and 19.
Waterloo Region has now confirmed 19,287 COVID-19 cases, including 18,802 resolved infections, 189 active cases and 292 deaths.
Another 824 cases were confirmed as variant of concern cases in Tuesday's update – all of which are linked to the Delta variant.
Health officials in Waterloo Region are now including all suspected Delta variant cases in addition to confirmed cases on the health unit's COVID-19 dashboard.
The change does not reflect an increase in the number of new cases, just how they are reported and classified.
The health unit has now logged 6,034 variant of concern cases since the pandemic began.
Waterloo Region's variant breakdown is as follows:
- 3,128 are the Alpha variant, first identified in the United Kingdom and originally known as B.1.1.7
- 21 are the Beta variant, originally detected in South Africa and previously referred to as B.1.315
- 98 are the Gamma variant, initially discovered in Brazil and labelled as P.1
- 2,524 are the Delta variant, first found in India and previously called B.1.617
- 263 cases have had a mutation detected, but have not yet had a variant strain confirmed
Meanwhile, another 2,355 COVID-19 tests were processed in the region since Friday. Since the pandemic began, 579,078 tests have been processed.
As of Tuesday, the region's seven-day average positivity rate is 2.9 per cent, down from 3.1 per cent on Friday.
The reproductive rate of the virus is 1.1, up from 1.0 on Friday.
Hospitalizations in Waterloo Region increased by two in the past 24 hours, up to 13. There are currently nine people receiving treatment in area intensive care units.
One new COVID-19 outbreak was declared in Tuesday's update, bringing the total number of active outbreaks up to six.
Since the vaccine rollout began, 840,486 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Waterloo Region, with 1,223 jabs put into arms on Monday.
Among residents 12 and older, 81.14 per cent are fully vaccinated and 87.43 per cent have received at least one dose.
Across Waterloo Region's entire population, 69.87 per cent are fully vaccinated and 75.29 per cent have received at least one dose.
Province-wide, 577 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths were reported on Tuesday.
Of the new infections reported Tuesday, 452 cases involved people who are either unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown and 125 infections involved people who are fully vaccinated.
Ontario has now confirmed 9,624 COVID-19-related deaths and 575,796 cases since the pandemic began.
With files from CTV Toronto.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.