34 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Waterloo region Thursday

There were 34 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Waterloo region on Thursday.

As well, there was one death reported by public health, a man in his 60s. It brings the number of COVID-related deaths in the past year in the region to 229.

The new cases brought the total in March to 168 and since March 2020 to 10,870. Of that, 10,237 have been marked as resolved.

There are 391 active cases in the region with 42 people in hospital and eight people in the intensive care unit.

There are now 129 cases of COVID-19 that have tested positive for a variant strain of the virus, according to the region. Of that, 11 cases include the B117 variant first detected in the U.K. The remaining cases arein further testing.

Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang is the region's medical officer of health. During a board of health meeting Wednesday evening, she said local case rates "continue to be firmly in the red zone and our situation is very precarious as the variants are becoming more prevalent locally."

Spread of variants of the virus are controlled the same way the regular strain is, Wang said, but people need to be more vigilant about following public health measures like wearing a mask, not having close contact with people outside the household, washing their hands and staying home if they feel any symptoms.

Ontario reported another 994 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.

29 active outbreaks

There are 29 active outbreaks in the region including seven in long-term care and retirement homes.

There are four outbreaks in schools. They include:

• 12 cases at St. John Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener.
• Six cases at St. Agnes Catholic Elementary School in Waterloo.
• Four cases at Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary School in Cambridge.
• Two cases at Howard Robertson Public School in Kitchener.

The other outbreaks are:

• Eight in congregate settings: One with 123cases over multiple locations, one with 36 cases, one with 21 cases, one with 10 cases, two with two cases each and twowith a single case each.
• Two in hospitals: One at Cambridge Memorial Hospital and one at Grand River Hospital.
• One at Court at Laurelwood Retirement Residence with 13 cases in people living there, three in staff members and two deaths.
• One at EduKids Childcare Centre with six cases.
• One at a place of worship with 12 cases.
• Three at manufacturing workplaces: One with three cases and two with two cases each.
• One at a food processor with five cases.
• One at a food and beverage business with two cases.