Ontario breaks record with 5,790 new COVID cases Thursday

Public Health Ontario is reporting a record 5,790 new COVID cases today.

Previously the highest number of cases reported in a day was 4,128 on April 16, 2021.

The latest updates also include 1,659 recoveries and seven deaths.

The Dec. 23 updates provided by the province's public health agency and the ministry of health also reported the following data:

There are 32,412 active cases, up from 28,288 yesterday.
440 people are in hospital testing positive for COVID-19.
Included in the new cases are 971 unvaccinated, 222 partially vaccinated, and 4,392 fully vaccinated people. 205 cases were reported with vaccination status unknown.
The seven-day average incidence rate by vaccination status is 27.8 cases per 100,000 unvaccinated people, 24.1 cases per 100,000 partially vaccinated people, and 25.27 cases per 100,000 fully vaccinated people.
169 people are in ICU due to COVID-19. Of those, 156 people are testing positive and 13 are testing negative. There are 106 people in an intensive care unit (ICU) due to COVID on a ventilator.
Hospitalized cases (not in the ICU) include 124 unvaccinated people, 12 partially vaccinated people, and 136 fully vaccinated people.
In the ICU there are 85 unvaccinated cases, five partially vaccinated cases, and 32 fully vaccinated cases.
11.3 million people in Ontario (77 per cent of the population) are fully vaccinated, and five per cent of the province has one dose of COVID vaccine.
2.5 million people have received a booster (third dose) since August 2021.
The province reported 68,191 tests were processed yesterday, resulting in a 16 per cent positivity rate, which is a record high. The last highest positivity rate reported was 10.9 per cent reported on April 26, 2021.
Cases reported in today's update include 64 from Grey-Bruce, 213 from Simcoe-Muskoka, 1,527 from Toronto, 470 from York Region, and 491 from Peel Region.
Today's new cases include 173 newborns to four-year-olds, 464 kids ages five to 11 years old, 560 youth between 12 and 19 years old, 2,662 people between 20 and 39 years old, 1,397 people between 40 and 59 years old, 464 people between 60 and 79 years old, and 69 people over 80 years old.

Public Health Ontario has confirmed 667,353 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and reported 624,801 recoveries and 10,140 deaths.

The cumulative average incidence rate in the province is 4,529.3 cases per 100,000 people in Ontario.

Ontario's average seven-day incidence rate from Dec. 13 to Dec. 19 was 142.3 cases per 100,000 people, which increased 107.4 per cent over to the seven-day period starting on Dec. 7.

For more on the province's breakdown of vaccination status, click here.

Northern Ontario

In Northern Ontario, the breakdown of Public Health Ontario data is:

North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit: 1,072 cases, weekly rate of 37.9 cases per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 1,073 cases. There are 90 known active cases. Of the eligible population five years and older, 84 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 79 per cent have both doses.
Algoma Public Health: 1,684 cases, weekly rate of 132.4 cases per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 1,697 cases. There are 248 known active cases. Of the eligible population five years and older, 86 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 80 per cent have both doses.
Porcupine Health Unit: 2,429 cases, weekly rate of 64.7 cases per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 2,405 cases. There are 87 known active cases. Of the eligible population five years and older, 85 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 78 per cent have both doses.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts: 4,618 cases, weekly rate of 111.1 cases per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 4,697 cases. There are 295 known active cases. Of the eligible population five years and older, 86 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 80 per cent have both doses.
Timiskaming Health Unit: 514 cases, weekly rate of 156.4 cases per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 519. There are 66 known active cases. Of the eligible population five years and older, 83 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 78 per cent have both doses.
Northwestern Health Unit: 1,423 cases, weekly rate of 129.3 cases per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 1,397 cases. There are 102 known active cases. Of the eligible population five years and older, 92 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 84 per cent have both doses.
Thunder Bay District Health Unit: 3,859 cases, weekly rate of 33 cases per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 3,847 cases. There are 64 known active cases. Of the eligible population five years and older, 87 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 81 per cent have both doses.

The data from Northern Ontario health units is based on what was available at 10:30 a.m. today.