Background
Region of Waterloo Public Health continues to work closely with local hospitals, health care partners, the Ministry of Health, Public Health Ontario and many community partners to respond to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Waterloo Region.
Cases in Waterloo Region
The COVID-19 data results presented below represent a snapshot of the cumulative totals at the time of reporting. The results will differ each day as new case information is available and the situation continues to change. We expect to update case information daily at 1:30 p.m. with data that are current as of 11:59 p.m. the previous day. Data on test counts are refreshed on Tuesdays and Fridays.
School disclosures
Outbreaks in school settings will be reported on our dashboard. For disclosure of positive cases in school settings, visit:
- Cases in schools and child care centres in Ontario
- Waterloo Region District School Board
- Waterloo Catholic District School Board
- Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (Roman Catholic separate, French-language school board)
- Conseil scolaire Viamonde (French-language public school board
Notes
Epi-Curves
- There are two date options for the epidemiological curve also known as an "epi-curve" graphs:
- By episode date: The epi-curve by ‘symptom onset date’ shows a more accurate picture of the progression of the epidemic over time. Caution is needed when interpreting the most recent results, because there is a one to two week lag from when individuals get sick, to when cases are reported to Public Health.
- By case reported date: The epi-curve by ‘case reported date’ shows the number of cases over time as they were reported to Public Health.
- Outbreak-related cases are those associated with an outbreak in a congregate living setting such as a long term care home, retirement home or group home, as well as outbreaks in other settings such as hospitals, workplaces, schools, colleges/universities and child care settings.
- Non-outbreak related cases are those not associated with a specific outbreak. The transmission type may be close contact with another case, from travel, or an unknown source.
Municipal and neighbourhood data
- Cases and rates by municipality and neighbourhood are based on home residence of positive cases (usually the address found on an individual’s health card or their normal place of residence) and does not necessarily reflect where exposure occurred.
- Rates are calculated as the number of positive cases per 100,000 population.
- Population denominators are based on 2019 year-end estimates, adjusted for 2020 mid-year growth and post-secondary attendance as a result of COVID-19.
- Neighbourhoods refer to a custom level of geography developed by Region of Waterloo staff in coordination with area municipalities, and local service providers and community members which is often used for service planning.
- There are 45 neighbourhoods in Waterloo Region. These neighbourhoods do not necessarily represent neighbourhood association boundaries.
- Cases are matched to neighbourhoods based on the postal code of the home address.
- Cases with missing or invalid postal codes are excluded from the neighbourhood mapping because they cannot be assigned to a neighbourhood.
- NR = 'not reportable'; neighbourhoods with counts less than or equal to five cases have been suppressed to protect personal health information.
- Patients are assigned to neighbourhood based on their residential postal code.
- In some rural areas, the postal code and neighbourhood boundaries do not align perfectly, which can result in some cases being assigned to the wrong neighbourhood.
- The number of positive cases in each municipality and neighbourhood is skewed based on testing guidance that prioritizes groups and settings at greater risk, including long-term care and retirement homes.
- There is broad circulation of COVID-19 in our community. It should be assumed that you could get COVID-19 anywhere in Waterloo Region.
Outbreak data
- Long-term care/retirement home outbreaks are defined as one or more positive case in resident(s) or staff case. Staff cases may include some staff who reside outside of Waterloo Region.
- Congregate setting outbreaks are defined as one of more positive cases in group homes, community supported living settings, and disability-specific congregate settings. Congregate setting data is aggregated to protect the privacy of individuals, as many facilities have a small number of residents and staff.
- Workplace outbreaks are defined as those with two or more confirmed cases where the most likely source of exposure was associated with the workplace. Workplace outbreaks are aggregated by category to protect the privacy of individuals.
- College/University outbreaks are defined as two or more confirmed cases in a school with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the school.
- School outbreaks are defined as two or more confirmed cases in a school with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the school (including transportation and before/after school care).
- Child care centres (licensed) outbreaks are outbreaks in congregate settings that provide child care and are defined by a single symptomatic case in staff or children.
- Hospital outbreaks are declared by area hospitals, in consultation with Region of Waterloo Public Health.
For more detailed technical notes, please refer to the Waterloo Region COVID-19 Summary Technical Notes.
Additional resources
For additional data sets please visit Public Health Ontario or the Ministry of Health.
Accessible formats of the Waterloo Region COVID-19 Summary are available upon request. Please contact Public Health to request an accessible format.
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