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Three more people have been killed by COVID-19 in Waterloo Region, Public Health said Wednesday.

Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region’s acting medical officer of health, says that all three were in local hospitals when they died.

The two women and a man who were in their 70s or 80s all had underlying conditions, the doctor noted.

“I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of those who have passed as well as they healthcare workers whose care they were under,” Wang said.

Eight people have now died in the region due to the virus.

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Public Health says that eight more people have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases within the region to 220.

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Many of the new cases appear to have come from long-term care or retirement homes where there have now been 40 positive tests of residents or staff members.

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Public Health said that another resident of the Highview Residences in Kitchener has tested positive. Two residents of the retirement home have died including a 91-year-old man on Monday.

A resident of Lanark Heights in Kitchener and a staff member at St. Andrews Terrace in Cambridge have also tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

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There have now been 2,635 tests conducted in the region, with 1,999 coming back negative. There are currently 416 tests pending a result.

The province reported 550 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, and 21 more deaths, bringing the provincial total to 5,276 cases.