Over 15% of Waterloo Region residents have now received 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Just over 15 per cent of Waterloo Region residents have now received at least a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the region’s vaccine distribution task force.

On Thursday, it announced that 103,966 doses have now been given in the area, 2,572 more than what had been reported a day earlier.

A total of 2.64 per cent of area residents have received two doses of vaccine, with the target number being 75 per cent, which is what scientists believe will achieve herd immunity.

While the vaccination totals have been lower than it was a week earlier, that number may pick up again as AstraZeneca is now available at some primary care offices in the area after being introduced recently at pharmacies.

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Waterloo Public Health announced another 66 positive tests for the coronavirus on Thursday, lifting the total number of cases in the area to 12,399.

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This is the third straight day the area has seen more than 60 new cases and pushes the seven-day rolling average number of new cases to 61.

Another 37 people have also been cleared of the virus, as the number of resolved cases rises to 11,717.

A new COVID-19 related deaths was reported for the first time since April 1, pushing the death toll to 244 including two in April.

These numbers push the number of active cases up to 426, which is the highest number of active cases the area has had since Feb. 8.

Included among the active cases are 19 people who are in area hospitals, five of which are in intensive care.

The area is back down to 13 active COVID-19 outbreaks after one was declared over in the manufacturing sector while a second ended at St. John Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener.

Elsewhere, Ontario reported 3,295 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the provincial total to 374,112.

According to Thursday’s provincial report, 933 cases were recorded in Toronto, 649 in Peel Region, 386 in York Region, 165 in Durham Region, 160 in Ottawa, 156 in Halton Region and 125 in Middlesex-London.

All other local public health units reported fewer than 125 new cases in the provincial report.

The death toll in the province has risen to 7,494 as 19 more deaths were recorded.

— with files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues