Waterloo Region logs 290th COVID-19 death; total cases pass 19,000

Waterloo -

Health officials in Waterloo Region logged one COVID-19-related death and 21 new cases on Thursday, as the total number of infections recorded passes the 19,000 mark.

The Region of Waterloo's caseload now sits at 19,008 to date. The total only increased by 20 in Thursday's report due to a data cleanup.

Of the 19,008 confirmed cases, 18,543 are considered resolved and 171 are active.

The latest death marks the region's 290th since the pandemic began.

Hospitalizations decreased by two in the past day, down from seven to five. There are currently five people receiving treatment in area intensive care units.

One COVID-19 outbreak was declared in Thursday's report, bringing the total number of active outbreaks across the region to seven.

Eight cases were confirmed as the Delta variant in the latest update. Waterloo Region has now confirmed 5,069 variant of concern cases.

The region's variant breakdown is as follows:

• 3,126 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
• 1,562 are the Delta variant, first found in India and previously called B.1.617
• 260 cases have had a mutation detected, but have not yet had a variant strain confirmed

Meanwhile, health partners across the region have now administered 824,889 COVID-19 vaccine doses, with 1,199 jabs put into arms on Wednesday.

More than 79.1 per cent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated and 85.86 per cent of those 12 and older have received at least one dose.

Yesterday, Premier Doug Ford unveiled a new vaccine certification program. Residents must show proof of full vaccination to access some non-essential businesses, including restaurants, gyms and bars, starting Sept. 22.

On Thursday, the province logged its highest daily COVID-19 case count in months, with 865 new infections.

The last time daily cases were that high was June 4 when 914 new cases were reported.

Of the new infections reported Thursday, 692 cases involved people who are either unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown. The remaining 173 infections involved people who are fully vaccinated.

Since the pandemic began, Ontario has confirmed 9,530 COVID-19-related deaths and 567,071 cases.

With files from CTV Toronto.