Waterloo Region logs 16 new COVID-19 cases; hospitalizations, active infections dip
Waterloo Region logged 16 new COVID-19 infections in Thursday's update as hospitalizations and active cases decreased slightly.
The latest cases bring the region's total to 18,461, including 18,020 resolved infections and 283 deaths.
The total case count only rose by 15 due to a data cleanup.
Active cases dropped by eight in the past 24 hours, down from 151 to 143.
Hospitalizations also decreased in Thursday's update, down from 19 to 15. Of those, 10 are receiving treatment in area intensive care units.
Two more COVID-19 outbreaks were declared in the past day. There are now 10 active outbreaks across Waterloo Region.
Another nine infections were confirmed as variant of concern cases, bringing the total number of variant cases to 4,776.
Waterloo Region's variant breakdown is as follows:
The region's variant breakdown is as follows:
- 3,121 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
- 96 are the Gamma variant, initially discovered in Brazil and labelled as P.1
- 1, 281 are the Delta variant, first found in India and previously called B.1.617
- 257 cases have had a mutation detected, but have not yet had a variant strain confirmed
Meanwhile, health partners in the region administered 3,181 COVID-19 vaccine doses on Wednesday, bringing the total number of jabs put into arms to 776,426.
More than 72 per cent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated, while 83.38 per cent of residents 12 and older have received at least one dose.
Province-wide, the daily case count jumped back above the 200 mark. Health officials confirmed 213 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday.
Ontario's rolling seven-day average now sits at 198, a spike from 165 at this time last week.
With files from CTV Toronto.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.