130 new COVID-19 cases reported in Waterloo region on Wednesday

Waterloo region saw 130 new cases of COVID-19 reported on Wednesday.

There were no new deaths reported.

There were 947 active cases. As well, there were 20 people in the region's three hospitals infectious with the virus, seven of which were in the intensive care unit. The region notes people in ICU may no longer be infectious with COVID-19, but do require ongoing care.

Waterloo region's medical officer of health said she understands people will want to gather for Christmas this Saturday and other holiday events. Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said "no gathering is risk-free," but people can make them safer by keeping numbers small, ensuring good ventilation, wearing masks and keeping a physical distance from others.

She said the region has seen "a steep increase" in COVID-19 cases in the past week ⁠— largely due to the Omicron variant.

She likened the pandemic to a marathon and the current wave to a challenging part in that race. But, she noted, the region has made progress.

"We may not be at the finish line yet, but we are also not back at the beginning," Wang said. 

"We also know what works best now against COVID-19 and its variants. Please do what you can to help protect yourself and others. It will be the best gift you can give this holiday season."

15 active outbreaks

There were 15 active outbreaks in the region. One was at Lanark Heights long-term care home in Kitchener where there were 15 cases: Eight in staff members and seven "non-staff" cases. There was one death associated with this outbreak.

There were nine school outbreaks listed on the region's website:

• Saint John Paul II Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener with nine cases.
• Tait Street Public School in Cambridge with eight cases.
• St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Elementary School in Elmira with four cases over multiple cohorts.
• St. Augustine Catholic School in Cambridge with four cases.
• St. Mary's High School in Kitchener with four cases.
• A private school with four cases.
• Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary School in Cambridge with three cases over multiple cohorts.
• St. Paul Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener with two cases.
• St. Luke Catholic School in Waterloo with two cases.

An outbreak at St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Elementary School in Cambridge was declared over on Tuesday.

There were three other outbreaks reported by the Waterloo Region District School Board that were not listed on the region's dashboard:

• Breslau Public School with two cases.
• Centennial Public School in Waterloo with two cases.
• Jean Steckle Public School in Kitchener with three cases.

Other outbreaks in the region were:

• Cambridge Minor Hockey Association with eight cases.
• Columbus Conference Centre in Waterloo with five cases.
• An automobile sales and service workplace with four cases.
• A manufacturer with three cases.
• An office with two cases.

The region's vaccination dashboard showed 75.72 per cent of all residents in the region have two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The region has administered more than one million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the past year:

• 476,169 first doses.
• 449,868 second doses.
• 85,598 third doses.