38 more positive COVID-19 tests reported in Waterloo Region as death toll remains at 239

Waterloo Public Health announced another 36 positive tests for the coronavirus on Thursday, raising the total number of cases in the area to 11,340.

This lifts the rolling seven-day average number of new COVID-19 cases in the area to 38.9.

Another 33 people were also cleared of the virus, pushing the total number of resolved cases to 10,862.

No new COVID-19-related deaths were reported for the third straight day, leaving the death toll in the area at 239, including 12 in March.

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The area is back up to 313 active COVID-19 cases, with 22 of those being in area hospitals.

The vaccine distribution task force says there have now been 51,508 doses given in Waterloo Region, an increase of 1,634 from a day earlier.

Its website says 6.38 per cent of Waterloo Region’s population of around 588,000 people have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The target goal is to get to at least 75 per cent of the people living in the area, which would theoretically provide herd immunity.

The area still has 14 active outbreaks after one was declared over at St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener and a new one was announced at the University of Waterloo.

The new outbreak has been connected to a group of get-togethers by university students that has now seen at least 21 people test positive for the coronavirus.

Elsewhere, Ontario reported 1,553 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the provincial total to 323,509.

According to Thursday’s provincial report, 404 cases were recorded in Toronto, 294 in Peel Region, 176 in York Region, 85 in Durham Region, 80 in Hamilton and 82 in Ottawa.

All other local public health units reported fewer than 50 new cases in the provincial report.

The death toll in the province has risen to 7,202 as 15 more deaths were recorded.

—With files from Global News’ Jess Patton