Waterloo Region adds 33 new COVID-19 cases on Friday
Health officials in Waterloo Region reported 33 new COVID-19 cases on Friday.
Of the latest cases, 31 are linked to the past day and two are from previous reporting periods.
There have now been 19,195 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Waterloo Region, including 18,705 resolved infections, 291 deaths and 194 active cases.
Hospitalizations rose by one in the past 24 hours, up to seven. There are currently eight people receiving treatment in area intensive care units.
The Region of Waterloo only counts active, infectious patients in hospitalization numbers, but counts both active and resolved cases in ICU figures. This means ICU numbers can sometimes be higher than hospitalizations.
The number of active outbreaks remains unchanged from Thursday, still sitting at four.
Another 1,265 COVID-19 tests were processed since Tuesday. A total of 576,723 tests have been completed in the region since the pandemic began.
Waterloo Region's positivity rate rose from 3.0 per cent on Tuesday to 3.1 per cent on Friday. The reproductive rate of the virus is 1.0.
Two more infections were confirmed as variant of concern cases in Friday's update, bringing the number of confirmed variant cases to 5,160.
Waterloo Region's variant breakdown is as follows:
- 3,134 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
- 1,651 are the Delta variant, first found in India and previously called B.1.617
- 256 cases have had a mutation detected, but have not yet had a variant strain confirmed
Meanwhile, health partners administered 1,132 COVID-19 vaccine doses on Thursday. Since the vaccine rollout began, 835,924 jabs have been put into arms.
More than 80.6 per cent of residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated and 87.05 per cent of the eligible population has received at least one dose.
Among Waterloo Region's entire population, 69.41 per cent are fully vaccinated and 74.96 per cent have received one dose.
Across Ontario, 848 new COVID-19 infections were reported on Friday.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said 659 of the new cases involve individuals who are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 189 are in fully vaccinated individuals.
The province has now confirmed 572,978 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.
With files from CTV Toronto.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.