KITCHENER —
There were six new deaths from COVID-19 in Waterloo Region in new numbers released on the region’s website on Friday.

All of the new deaths are from residents over the age of 70 in long-term care or retirement homes in Kitchener, including one at Victoria Place Retirement Residence and five at Forest Heights Long Term Care .

Friday’s numbers show that 118 residents and 45 staff have tested positive for COVID-19 at Forest Heights, the hardest hit facility in the region.

Representatives from there say 23 residents have been transffered out of the facility to creat more space and seperation for those still inside.

The total number of people in the region who have died from the virus now stands at 45.

According to the update, there are also 24 new confirmed cases reported as of Friday morning.

That means there are now a total of 604 confirmed cases in Waterloo Region, up from the 582 reported on Thursday.

There are also now 216 resolved cases in the region, up from 199 resolved cases reported on Thursday.

The number of active outbreaks at long-term care homes and retirement homes has dropped to 10.

“Very sadly I expect to see an increase in these settings going forward,” said Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, Medical Officer of Health for Region of Waterloo.

She adds that some of the new deaths were confirmed to linked to the virus through posthumous testing, which she expects will reveal more cases and outbreaks.

“This is due to the fact that in these settings we are testing people who have passed away even when they hae previously tested negative,” said Wang. “I think we’re still on the upswing of the situation in long term care and retirement homes.”

As of Thursday, the outbreak at The Village at University Gates in Waterloo was declared over.

There have been a total of 13,519 positive cases of COVID-19 reported in Ontario thus far.

There are currently 763 COVID-19 deaths in Ontario, while 7,087 others have recovered.