Active COVID-19 case count continues to fall in Waterloo Region

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Waterloo Region has taken a large dive over the past five days.

On Jan. 14, Waterloo Public Health reported 1,092 active cases, which set a new highwater mark for the region.

Since then, it has fallen by at least 30 cases per day (including 38 on Tuesday) and now sits at 867.

This drop has occurred as the number of new daily cases has fallen to a lower level as well.

Another 101 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the region, lifting the total number of COVID-19 cases to 8,502, according to Waterloo Public Health.

It is the fourth straight day the agency has reported 115 or fewer cases, after having been well above that mark for more than 10 consecutive days.

Another 139 people were cleared of the virus as well, lifting the total number of resolved cases in the area to 7,453.

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Waterloo Public Health is also reporting that 53 people are now in area hospitals, including 15 who are in intensive care.

While the region’s top medical official, Hsiu-Li Wang, said on Friday that the number includes those from out of region, Kitchener’s Grand River Hospital told Global News on Tuesday that it has four patients from out of region and Cambridge Memorial Hospital said it had none. Last week, there were none at St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener either, although that number could have changed.

Unfortunately, another person has suffered a COVID-19-related death in the region, according to Waterloo Public Health. This lifts the death toll for the area to 182 since the pandemic first struck the region last March.

That person was a resident of Chartwell Westmount, where there have now been three deaths reported.

A total of 53 residents and 31 staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus at the Kitchener long-term care home since an outbreak was declared on Dec. 27.

It is one of 53 current active outbreaks in Waterloo Region.

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The largest outbreak is at Conestogo Meat Packers in Breslau, where 150 people have now tested positive for COVID-19.

A new outbreak was reported at Grand River Hospital in a children’s unit and at a WRDSB program while ones came to an end in a manufacturing plant and at a trades location.

Elsewhere, Ontario reported 1,913 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the provincial total to 242,277.

However, the Ontario government said due to a “technical issue” there was “likely” underreporting in cases from Toronto Public Health.

Still, Tuesday’s report marks the first time a single-day increase in cases has been below 2,000 since Dec. 28, when 1,939 were reported, and is the lowest increase in cases since Dec. 13, when 1,677 were reported.

“Locally, there are 550 new cases in Toronto, 346 in Peel, and 235 in York Region,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said.

The death toll in the province has risen to 5,479 after 46 more deaths were reported.

—With files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues