Waterloo Region adds 61 new COVID-19 cases Monday as hospitalizations, outbreaks rise
Health officials in Waterloo Region logged 61 new COVID-19 infections Monday, continuing the trend of an alarming spike in cases and hospitalizations in the community.
The new batch of cases brings the region's total caseload since the pandemic began to 17,089, with 16,275 considered resolved, 530 considered active and 260 deaths.
One new COVID-19-related death was confirmed this past weekend, a woman in her 90s living in a long-term care home. The woman had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to health officials.
Hospitalizations also rose in the past 24 hours, up by three to 57. Of those, 22 people are receiving care in area intensive care units.
There are now 11 active COVID-19 outbreaks in Waterloo Region, the bulk of which are workplace or facility outbreaks. Monday, health officials announced an outbreak at Grand River Hospital's adult inpatient mental health unit at the KW campus.
DELTA VARIANT TAKING HOLD
Three more COVID-19 cases were confirmed as variants of concern in Monday's update, bringing the total number of variant cases to 3,565.
Confirmed cases of the Delta variant continue to grow in Waterloo Region, with health officials confirming late last week that Delta is now the dominant strain in the community.
Waterloo Region's variant breakdown is as follows:
- 3,069 are the Alpha variant, first identified in the United Kingdom and originally known as B.1.1.7
- 11 are 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
- 115 are the Delta variant, first found in India and previous called B.1.617
- 309 cases have had a mutation detected, but have not yet had a variant strain confirmed
VACCINE PUSH CONTINUES
Meanwhile, health partners across Waterloo Region administered another 5,730 COVID-19 vaccine doses on Sunday. More than 466,994 jabs have been put in arms since the vaccine rollout began.
More than 74.9 per cent of adults have now received at least one dose, while 18.98 per cent of residents 18 and older are fully vaccinated.
PROVINCE-WIDE SNAPSHOT
Across Ontario, health officials logged the lowest daily increase in COVID-19 infections since mid-September, adding 270 cases.
The province also recorded three more deaths in the past day, bringing the total death toll to 9,022.
Outside of Waterloo Region, most of the new cases were in Peel, with 42, and Toronto with 47.
Monday’s new infections bring Ontario’s total number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases to 542,469, including deaths and recoveries.
With files from CTV Toronto.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
NEW Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'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.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Some customers steaming after McDonald's ends free hot drink sticker program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Prince William returns to public duties after wife Kate's cancer revelation
Prince William will return to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife Kate revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.