Waterloo Public Health reported 187 more positive tests for the coronavirus on Thursday bringing the total number of cases in the area to 6,856.
The agency also announced another death, lifting the death toll to 172 including seven over the first seven days of January.
In addition, 106 people have been cleared of the virus, raising the total number of resolved cases to 5,793.
There are currently 888 active COVID-19 cases including 25 people who are in hospital, 11 of whom are in intensive care.
The agency announced five new COVID-19 outbreaks, which lift that total number back to 34.
Two of the outbreaks were at congregate settings while the three others were at homes in Kitchener including Chartwell Bankside, Chartwell Westmount Retirement Home and the Village at University Gates Retirement Home.
There was already an active outbreak at the long-term care unit at Chartwell Westmount which saw four new cases reported on Thursday. The outbreak has seen nine residents and 11 staff members test positive for the coronavirus.
There was also already an active outbreak at the Village at University Gates in the long-term care unit which has seen two staff members test positive.
Outbreaks are also over at a manufacturing plant, a trucking company and in a congregate setting.
Ontario is reporting 3,519 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, a new single-day record in the province since the start of the pandemic. The provincial total now stands at 204,145.
Thursday’s case count surpasses the previous one-day record set on Jan. 2 with 3,363 new cases.
According to Thursday’s provincial report, 891 cases were recorded in Toronto, 568 were in Peel Region, 457 in York Region, 208 in Windsor-Essex County,174 in Durham Region, and 164 in Ottawa.
The death toll in the province has risen to 4,856 as 89 more deaths were reported — the largest increase in a day ever recorded by the province. The previous largest increase in deaths occurred on April 30 with 86 deaths.