88 new COVID-19 cases reported in Waterloo Region as active case count hits 592

Waterloo Public Health reported 88 news positive tests for the coronavirus on Friday, lifting the total number of COVID-19 cases in the area to 13,675.

This is the fourth straight day there have been more than 70 new cases reported and it pushes the seven-day rolling average number of new cases to 84.75.

At the same time, the agency also reported that 81 more people had been cleared of the virus, raising the total number of resolved cases to 12,820.

There were no new COVID-19-related deaths reported in the region, leaving the death toll in the area at 249.

However, there were two deaths reported over the past two days and there have been six this month.

This leaves the area with 592 active COVID-19 cases.

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There are also 57 people in area hospitals as a result of COVID-19 including 25 who are in intensive care.

Waterloo Public Health also reported one new COVID-19 outbreak in a retail setting raising the total number to 29.

On the flip side, Waterloo’s vaccine distribution task force reported there have now been 167,314 vaccines administered in Waterloo Region since Dec. 22, an increase of 4,971 over what was reported a day earlier.

The agency reports that 25.71 per cent of the region’s population has now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The goal is to reach 75 per cent, which would in theory, achieve herd immunity.

Elsewhere, Ontario reported 4,505 new COVID-19 cases on Friday. The provincial total now stands at 437, 310.

According to Friday’s report, 1,257 cases were recorded in Toronto, 1,237 in Peel Region, 412 in York Region, 247 in Ottawa and 224 in Durham Region.

All other local public health units reported fewer than 200 new cases in the provincial report.

The death toll in the province has risen to 7,863 as 34 more deaths were recorded.

–With files from Global News’ Jess Patton