Waterloo Public Health reported 99 new positive tests for the coronavirus on Monday, lifting the total number of COVID-19 cases in the area to 21,634.
This is the highest one-day total the agency has announced since April, when the region was slowly emerging from the fourth wave of the pandemic.
It also lifts the rolling seven-day average number of new cases in the area up to 58.4, a number that stood at 37.4 just seven days earlier.
For the second consecutive day, the agency also reported a new COVID-19-related death.
“Today we are reporting one death in our community related to COVID-19,” Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, medical officer of health, stated.
“The individual was a female in her 70s. I wish to express my deep sympathy to the family and loved ones of this individual.”
This pushes the death toll in the area up to 311, including the four victims reported this month.
Another 46 people were cleared of the virus, pushing the number of resolved cases in the area up to 20,834.
The region now has 483 active COVID-19 cases, the highest total reported since June.
This number includes 12 people who are in area hospitals as a result of COVID-19, four of whom are in need of intensive care.
The area now has 17 active COVID-19 outbreaks after new ones were declared at Saint Augustine Catholic School in Cambridge and St. Mary’s High School in Kitchener.
The two outbreaks involving Cambridge hockey clubs have both increased with the one involving the Cambridge Roadrunners moving from 20 to 22 cases and the other involving the Hespeler Shamrocks rising from 13 to 15 cases.
Waterloo Public Health reported that there have now been 966,640 vaccinations done in the area, which is 3,792 more than it announced on Tuesday.
This number appears to be mostly buoyed by those getting a third dose of vaccine as 44,017 residents have now done so, which is 3,365 more than a day earlier.
Elsewhere, Ontario reported 1,808 new COVID cases on Wednesday, the highest one-day total since May as counts continue to rise. The provincial case total now stands at 636,920.
For comparison, last Wednesday saw 1,009 new cases and the previous Wednesday saw 780. Over the last three days, there were 1,429 new cases reported Tuesday, 1,536 on Monday and 1,476 on Sunday. Wednesday’s count is the largest increase since May 21, when 1,890 new cases were recorded.However, as infections surge, patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units have remained relatively stable and are down from the previous day.
Of the 1,808 new cases recorded, the data showed 625 were unvaccinated people, 39 were partially vaccinated people, 1,046 were fully vaccinated people and for 98 people the vaccination status was unknown.
According to Wednesday’s report, 343 cases were recorded in Toronto, 149 in York Region, 134 in the Kingston area, 132 in Peel Region, 117 in Ottawa, 114 in Simcoe Muskoka and 112 in Halton Region. 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 10,093 as nine more deaths were reported.
— with files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues
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