Waterloo Region adds 35 new COVID-19 cases Monday; More than 40 per cent of adults now fully vaccinated

Waterloo -

Health officials in Waterloo Region logged 35 new COVID-19 cases on Monday as more than 40 per cent of adults are now fully vaccinated.

The latest cases bring the region's total caseload since the pandemic began to 17,790, including 17,149 resolved infections, 272 deaths and 357 active cases.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the region dropped slightly on Monday, down by four to 46. Of those, 24 people are receiving treatment in area intensive care units.

There are 18 active COVID-19 outbreaks across Waterloo Region, with most in workplace or facility settings.

In Monday's report, no new cases were confirmed as variants of concern. A total of 3,929 cases have been identified as variants.

The region's variant breakdown is as follows:

• 3,099 are the Alpha variant, first identified in the United Kingdom and originally known as B.1.1.7
• 11 are the Beta variant, originally detected in South Africa and previously referred as B.1.315
• 61 are the Gamma variant, initially discovered in Brazil and labelled as P.1
• 443 are the Delta variant, first found in India and previously called B.1.617
• 315 cases have had a mutation detected, but have not yet had a variant strain confirmed

Meanwhile, health partners in Waterloo Region administered another 6,973 COVID-19 vaccine doses on Sunday, bringing the total number of jabs put into arms to 589,568.

More than 79.4 per cent of adults in the region have now received at least one dose, while 41.57 per cent of residents 18 and older are fully vaccinated.

“I’m so pleased to see our community respond in such a big way during these very important days in our fight against COVID-19,” Regional Chair Karen Redman said in a release. “We’re making great progress in our vaccine rollout and continue to vaccinate as many people as we can as quickly as possible. The more our community continues to work together by rolling up their sleeves to get vaccinated and follow public health measures, the closer we are to cautiously moving forward in our recovery and allowing more businesses to safely reopen.”

The region anticipates passing the 80 per cent first dose milestone in the coming days.

“Vaccines are the most effective defense against COVID-19 and the Delta variant,” Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said in a release. “The more residents who get vaccinated, the more we build a wall of protection to keep our community safe and healthy.”

Across Ontario, health officials logged 170 new COVID-19 infections on Monday and only one death.

The seven-day rolling average now stands at 223, down from 278 at this time last week.