There are now eight confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Waterloo Region, according to figures released this morning by the Public Health department.
Seven of the cases involved residents returned from travelling, the eighth, a man in his 20s, believed to have acquired the virus through close contact.
Six of the eight are self-isolating at home, while two have been hospitalized: a man in his 40s who’d travelled to the U.S. and a woman in her 50s who had been to France and the UK.
The first case to confirmed was a woman in her 60s who’d been on a Celebrity cruise that had docked in Puerto Rico on March 1. The cruise made stops in St. Martin, Barbados, Dominique, and Grenada before returning to dock in Puerto Rico on March 7. Development of symptoms were noticed by the woman upon her arrival into Canada the following day. After a two-day period of self-isolation, she visited Grand River Hospital for evaluation and testing. Following necessary protocols the hospital released the patient, who had been experiencing mild respiratory symptoms.
| Waterloo Region Case Number | Patient (age and gender) | Testing location | Transmission (community, travel or close contact) | Status (self-isolating, hospitalized or recovered) |
| 1 | 50s Female | Grand River Hospital | Travel (Italy) | Self-isolating at home |
| 2 | 60s Female | Grand River Hospital | Travel (Celebrity Summit cruise) | Self-isolating at home |
| 3 | 40s Male | Grand River Hospital | Travel (USA) | Hospitalized |
| 4 | 50s Female | Grand River Hospital | Travel (France/UK) | Hospitalized |
| 5 | 40s Male | St. Mary’s General Hospital | Travel (Celebrity Silhouette cruise) | Self-isolating at home |
| 6 | 50s Male | St Mary’s General Hospital | Travel (Celebrity Summit cruise)/Close contact | Self-isolating at home |
| 7 | 60s Male | St Mary’s General Hospital | Travel (Celebrity Summit cruise)/Close contact | Self-isolating at home |
| 8 | 20s Male | St Mary’s General Hospital | Close contact | Self-isolating at home |
