COVID-19 outbreak at Kitchener's Forest Heights care home declared over

The COVID-19 outbreak at Forest Heights Revera in Kitchener —  one of the region's long-term care homes hardest hit by the virus — has been declared over.

Waterloo region's acting medical officer of health, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, made the announcement at a news conference Tuesday morning. She said there is currently only one outbreak remaining, at the Sunnyside Long-Term Care Home. 

"Outbreaks in long-term care homes and retirement homes are also stable," Wang said. She noted the situation there is stable, with no new cases reported recently.

In total, the Forest Heights Revera home saw 178 positive cases in residents, 73 cases in staff members and 51 deaths.

Wang said four additional staff cases were picked up as part of very close monitoring and increased testing of staff in long-term care homes, but health officials have assessed these cases and do not believe they are associated with the risk of on-going spread.

"All other recent tests on residents and staff have not identified further cases. The outbreak has been well controlled for a few weeks and the outbreak is now over," Wang said.

"We currently do not have any active outbreaks in any congregate settings or workplace settings."

One recent death due to COVD-19

The acting medical officer of health said there was one recent COVID-19-related death in the region — a person in their 80s. 

"It is sadly not unexpected, given the continued circulation of the virus, which we know has the potential to cause serious illness and death," Wang said.

"This is why I continue to ask our residents to follow all public health measures to continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

There are now 89 active cases in the region and the percentage of those testing positive has continued to decrease.

A total of 34,418 tests have been performed in Waterloo region since the outbreak began, with positive results for approximately 3.7 per cent of all tests.

A total of 1,094 cases or 84 per cent of positive cases in Waterloo region are now resolved.

Distribution of cases by neighbourhood now available

Meanwhile, a new feature has been added to the COVID-19 our dashboard, giving people the opportunity to see the distribution of cases by neighbourhood across Waterloo region.

The map gives the option to filter for outbreak-related or non-outbreak-related data. 

Neighbourhoods with five cases or less have not been published on the dashboard to protect personal health information.

"We are cognizant of the fact that attention can be drawn to a neighbourhood that has more cases. It can create stigma that that's where the virus and infectious people are," Wang said.

"So, I would like to be clear, all areas of Waterloo region are affected by COVID-19. This map represents positive cases in terms of where they live but exposure to cases could happen anywhere in the region."

Follow public health guidelines on socializing this Canada Day

With Canada Day on Wednesday, people are being reminded not to gather with more than 10 people.

Even at gatherings, physical distancing must be maintained between anyone from different social circles or household bubbles.

Karen Redman, chair of the Region of Waterloo, said when distancing cannot be maintained, masks are strongly recommended.

"No matter how you celebrate tomorrow, it's still very important that we follow public health guidelines on socializing," Redman said.

All of the regional municipalities have planned virtual events, including concerts, parties and other activities.