18 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Wednesday, bringing Niagaras tally to 180 counting 55 resolved cases.
Niagara Public Health say 10 people have died after contracting the virus, adding it does not necessarily indicate that COVID-19 was the cause of death.
As the one-month mark of the first case of COVID-19 appeared in Niagara approaches, more information about the victims of the illness has now been made public after the region launched a new reporting feature on their website.
Numbers released on Wednesday reveal that the vast majority of cases are found in individuals 40 - 80+, where 141 cases are found.
29 individuals aged between 20 - 39 have tested positive, as well as 10 cases are found in the 'less than 20'-bracket.
47 of the regions 180 cases are residents in long-term care and retirement homes while 10%, or roughly 19 cases are found in health care workers.
Many of the new cases are related to the ongoing outbreaks, currently causing massive strains at six long-term care- and retirement homes.
In a Wednesday afternoon interview, the regional acting medical officer Dr. Mustafa Hirji said the cases in health care workers remain a big concern for the region, as they both deplete important resources and risk further spread among the vulnerable populations in retirement homes.
"We have reason to believe there have been people in long-term care who were working with mild symptoms and potentially exposed some people. It is quite concerning," Hirji said.
The number of confirmed infections in Niagara has doubled in 10 days, which is lower than the provincial average of 4 - 5 days is hopeful Hirji says, and compares to international examples of containment success, such as South Korea and Singapore with an average of 12 days doubling rate.
While that brings some hope, it also means the region will likely see around 360 cases of COVID-19 in about 10 days time.
"Another concern is that there are younger people out there with milder symptoms like a runny nose or sore throat that are out in the community spreading it. That is what we want to prevent," Hirji concluded.
