COVID-19 death toll at Forest Heights Revera long-term care home reaches 50

Another person at a Kitchener long-term care home has died from COVID-19, new numbers released Monday morning show.

The person lived at Forest Heights Revera. That brings the number of deaths at the home to 50. 

The death actually happened in mid-May, the region's acting medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said Monday. The person died in hospital, but their death wasn't reflected in the region's dashboard at the time.

The total number of people who have died in Waterloo region from COVID-19 is 113. Of those, 93 have been in long-term care or retirement homes.

The total number of cases in Waterloo region rose to 1,082 on Monday, four more than were reported by Region of Waterloo Public Health on Sunday.

As well, 742 cases have been marked as resolved, up from 713.

Also reported Monday;

• 15,636 tests have been done in the region.
• 30 people are in hospital. This does not include people moved from Forest Heights long-term care home into area hospitals.
• 290 of people presumed or confirmed positive are health-care workers, making up 27 per cent of cases.
• There are 11 active outbreaks in long-term care and retirement homes in the region.

The region also lists how people contracted the virus.

• 167 cases are from close contact, a rise of one case from what was reported on Sunday.
• 249 cases are from community spread, a rise of two cases from Sunday.
• 624 cases are from outbreak, up one from Sunday.
• 42 cases are from travel, which did not change from Sunday.

The numbers reported Monday morning by public health are accurate as of 7 p.m. Sunday.

New definition for resolved cases 

While the province is seeing an upward trend in new cases, Wang said the region is moving in the right direction.

"Overall, we continue to see signs of stabilization in our numbers of new cases," she said.

She said one change people can expect in the data the region is reporting is resolved cases. Up until this past weekend, the region had been calling people with confirmed cases to see whether their symptoms had been resolved.

Now, the province has issued new guidance that a person is considered resolved after 14 days.

1 new death in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health is reporting one new death from COVID-19 in its coverage area as of Monday, bringing the total to 34. The death toll had sat at 33 people for several days.

The number of positive cases also rose to 368 from 365 reported Sunday. There are eight people listed as being in the hospital with three in intensive care.

Meanwhile, the number of resolved cases rose one to 221.

Long-term home outbreaks

There are currently 11 active outbreaks in long-term care and retirement homes in Waterloo region. The outbreak at The Village of Winston Park in Kitchener was declared over on Sunday.