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WATERLOO REGION — The latest COVID-19 update from public health shows hospitalizations remain steady in the region, with no reported patients in the ICU.
This update comes on the same day the World Health Organization said that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency. The announcement Friday marks a symbolic end to the coronavirus pandemic that has killed millions of people worldwide, upended economies and triggered lockdowns that forced people to stay in their homes.
Three regional hospitals reported 21 patients with the virus in this latest update. This number has remained steady over the past two weeks, ranging between 20 and 26.
Over the past week, five long-term care facilities declared outbreaks. The Columbia Forest Long Term Care home in Waterloo reported an outbreak on April 29, with 15 cases, including 13 nonstaff cases.
No new deaths have been reported. The pandemic death toll in Waterloo Region, in which COVID was a direct or contributing cause, remains at 518.
Sewage monitoring points to a virus that remains fairly constant over the past month in both Kitchener and Cambridge. The wastewater signal is dominated by Omicron and its subvariants.
Balking at boosters
New data released Thursday shows the regional population is falling farther behind in recommended vaccination against COVID-19 as residents balk at booster doses.
By May 1, 72 per cent of the population was deemed in need of a booster dose, up from 63 per cent in March, the public health unit reports. Just 10 per cent of the population is currently deemed up to date with vaccination, down from 19 per cent in March.
It’s recommended that residents complete a primary series and receive a booster dose every six months to stay up to date and maintain protection against disease as vaccine immunity wanes.
Records show residents generally stopped receiving booster doses more than a year ago. Vaccination has barely advanced since that time, with a steady 18 per cent of the population going unvaccinated or choosing not to complete a primary series.
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