7.3% of Waterloo’s population has now received at least one dose of COVID vaccine

Waterloo Region’s COVID-19 vaccination task force says that 7.3 per cent of the area’s population has been received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Its Monday numbers showed there have now been 57,185 shots given, 3,841 more than what was reported on Friday.

There are now 14,179 residents who have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, just a hair above the 14,130 which was reported on Friday.

There are multiple reasons to explain the numbers slow rise including the lengthening of the timeframe between first and second doses and the shortage of vaccines the area received last month.

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The numbers should continue to increase this week as the largest vaccination clinic to date opened Monday morning in Cambridge.

It will have 20 vaccination stations up and running by the end of the week, with the capability of doubling in size if and when vaccines become available.

Waterloo Public Health reported 25 more positive tests for the coronavirus on Monday, raising the total number of cases in the area to 11,538.

The area’s rolling seven-day average number of new cases drops to 33.1.

Another 38 people were also cleared of the virus, lifting the total number of resolved cases to 11,026.

And for the third straight day, no new COVID-19-related deaths were reported, leaving the death toll for the area at 240 including 13 in March 2021.

The area is now down to 260 active COVID-19 cases, the lowest number which has been reported since Nov. 11, when there were 254 active cases.

A total of 28 of those people are currently in area hospitals as a result of the virus including seven people who are in intensive care.

There are now 17 active COVID-19 outbreaks in Waterloo Region after one was declared over in a congregate setting. One person lost their life during the outbreak which began on Feb. 18.

Elsewhere, Ontario reported 1,699 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the provincial total to 330,573.

According to Monday’s provincial report, 500 cases were recorded in Toronto, 318 in Peel Region, 155 in York Region, 114 in Hamilton, 85 in Ottawa and 79 in Durham Region.

All other local public health units reported fewer than 70 new cases in the provincial report.

The death toll in the province has risen to 7,244 as three more deaths were recorded — the lowest number of deaths in a single-day since October.

— With files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues