Coronavirus: New outbreaks declared at 2 nursing homes in Waterloo Region

New COVID-19 outbreaks have been declared at long-term care homes in Kitchener and Waterloo, according to Waterloo Public Health.

The agency says that a resident has tested positive for coronavirus at Parkwood Mennonite Retirement Home in Waterloo, Ont., and another at Sunnyside Home in Kitchener, Ont.

This is the third time an outbreak has been declared at Sunnyside and the second time one has been declared at Parkwood Mennonite.

Waterloo Public Health is working to determine the cause of the new outbreaks.

“Part of our investigation or assessment is to try and identify that,” said Julie Emili, Waterloo Public Health acting associate medical officer of health. “And it takes time because you have to get the results of testing.

“You have to do a little bit of investigative work.”

There are now three active outbreaks in Waterloo Region including the one at Forest Heights Long Term Care, which has seen 51 residents die and has been ongoing since April 1.

The outbreak at an unnamed retail location in the area has been declared over.

Waterloo Public Health reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total number of cases in the region to 1,228.

At the same time, it also reported 13 more residents have been cleared of the virus, raising the total number of resolved cases in the area to 1,037.

This lifts the rolling seven-day average of new cases in Waterloo Region to 5.28.

No new deaths were reported, leaving the death toll at 115, including 95 who resided in long-term care and retirement homes.

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There are now 76 active cases in the area, including 11 people who are in hospital.

There have now been 25,991 tests conducted in the area for the novel coronavirus, 240 more than what was reported 24 hours earlier.

Emili says there are a couple of reasons which could have led to the massive jump in testing including a reporting delay from testings sites and the new drive-thru testing centre that Grand River Hospital is operating.

Ontario reported 178 new cases of the novel coronavirus Friday, bringing the provincial total to 33,095.

Overall, new daily infection numbers have been on the decline for Ontario. It is the sixth day in a row with new cases under 200.

The death toll in the province has risen to 2,564, as 11 more deaths were reported.