Waterloo Public Health reported another 45 positive COVID-19 tests Thursday, lifting the total number of cases in the area to 15,034.
This drops the rolling seven-day average slightly to 62.6 which is close to where we stood last Thursday (62.3), but well below where we were two weeks ago (75.7).
No new COVID-19-related deaths were announced for a fifth straight day, leaving the death toll at 254 including two victims this month.
Another 40 people were also cleared of the virus, pushing the total number of resolved cases up to 14,282.
The number of active cases actually fell slightly to 473, with that number coming in at 502 a week ago.
There are still 37 people in area hospitals as a result of COVID-19, with 32 of those receiving intensive care. Those numbers were 42 and 31 respectively on Wednesday.
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There are now 17 active COVID-19 outbreaks, after a new one was declared in manufacturing while others came to an end at a warehouse and at the Village at University Gates in Waterloo.
Waterloo Region’s vaccine distribution task force says there have now been 237,239 vaccinations performed in the area, 3,658 more than a day earlier.
The task force says that 35.94 per cent of Waterloo’s population of 588,000 has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Elsewhere, the Ontario government reported 2,759 new COVID-19 cases, marking a pivotal new milestone in its 15-month pandemic fight: cumulatively more than half a million tests — 502,171 — have come back positive for the virus.
According to Thursday’s report, 774 cases were recorded in Toronto, 602 in Peel Region, 258 in York Region, 147 in Durham Region, 133 in Hamilton, 110 in Halton Region. and 105 in Ottawa.
All other local public health units reported fewer than 100 new cases in the provincial report.
The death toll in the province has risen to 8,405 as 31 more deaths were recorded.