Over 30 per cent of teens in Waterloo Region have now received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Waterloo Region’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force reported there have now been 369,051 vaccinations done in the area, 6,353 more than it announced on Monday.

A total of 69.31 per cent of the adults in the region have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a number that falls to 56.87 per cent if you include the entire population.

Those aged 12 to 17 are quickly joining the ranks of those who are vaccinated as 30.78 per cent of them have now received a jab.

A total of 29,612 area residents are now fully vaccinated, a number that has grown by more than 7,000 over the past week and now represents 5.03 per cent of the adult population.

4:40 Epidemiologist talks on decrease of Ontario’s COVID-19 numbers and next steps

The goal is to get more than 75 per cent of the population vaccinated, which would potentially achieve herd immunity, according to researchers.

On the other end of things, Waterloo Public Health reported another 36 positive tests for the coronavirus on Tuesday, pushing the total number of cases in the area up to 16,281.

Another 34 people were also cleared of the virus, lifting the total number of resolved cases to 15,671.

There have been no new COVID-19-related deaths reported in the area for more than two weeks, leaving the death toll standing at 256.

The number of people in area hospitals has jumped quickly as there are now 27 people in area hospitals, including 20 who are in need of intensive care.

A week ago, those numbers stood at 17 and 10.

Before the third wave of the pandemic began to diminish, area hospitals were receiving patients from the GTA but a spokesperson for Grand River Hospital, the area’s largest, said none in that hospital were from outside the area.

Ontario is reporting 469 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, as case counts continue to trend downward, marking the fewest number of daily cases since late September. The provincial total now stands at 537,076.

Tuesday’s case count is the lowest daily increase since Sept. 26, when 435 new cases were reported. It is also the ninth straight day cases are below 1,000.

On Monday, there were 525 new cases, with 663 on Sunday and 744 on Saturday.

According to Tuesday’s report, 182 cases were recorded in Toronto, 76 in Peel Region, 40 in Porcupine Health Unit, and 30 in Durham Region.

All other local public health units reported fewer than 30 new cases in the provincial report.

The death toll in the province has risen to 8,887 as 18 more deaths were recorded.

—With files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues