WATERLOO -- The Region of Waterloo added another 55 positive COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the region's total caseload to 15,796.
Of the confirmed cases, 15,137 are considered resolved and 387 are active.
Deaths related to the disease remain unchanged at 256.
The health unit's dashboard shows 28 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, with 23 of those people receiving treatment in intensive care units.
One more active outbreak was added in the past 24 hours, bringing the region's total number of active outbreaks to eight.
Health officials in Waterloo Region have confirmed 3,105 cases as variants of concern. The majority of those are linked to the B.1.1.7 variant first detected in the United Kingdom, with 2,746 cases.
Another 26 cases have been linked to the P.1 variant first identified in Brazil, six cases are the B.1.351 variant originally detected in South Africa, and four cases have been confirmed as the B.1.617 variant first identified in India.
Meanwhile, health officials in Waterloo Region administered 5,052 COVID-19 vaccine doses yesterday.
Some 299,101 doses have been administered in Waterloo Region. About 58 per cent of adults in Waterloo Region have received at least one dose, and about four per cent are fully vaccinated.
Province-wide, 1,135 COVID-19 cases were added Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began to 527,180.
Nineteen more people have died due to COVID-19 in the past day, bringing Ontario's death toll from the disease to 8,697.
Ontario's rolling seven-day average now stands at 1,441, down from 2,131 at this point last week.
