Waterloo Public Health announced more than 200 COVID-19 cases in the area on Sunday for the first time since the pandemic began last March.
The agency listed 203 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the total number of cases to 7,339.
There were actually 152 new positive tests for the coronavirus on Saturday, with the other new cases being added to previous 24-hour periods.
The large number of new cases also helped to push up a rapidly growing total number of active cases to 1,087. This number includes 23 people who are hospitalized, nine of whom are in intensive care.
In addition, another 102 people were cleared of the virus, lifting the total number of resolved cases to 6,072.
One new COVID-19-related death was reported by Waterloo Public Health on Sunday, pushing the region’s death toll to 175.
The new death was reported to be a resident of Chartwell Westmount long-term care in Kitchener.
The home has seen 13 residents and 13 staff members test positive since an outbreak was first declared on Dec. 27.
The outbreak is one of 35 in the region, a number which includes 16 in long-term care or retirement homes.
Waterloo Regional Police announced a new outbreak on Friday night at the North Division in Waterloo after three officers tested positive for the coronavirus.
A total of 12 members of the service have tested positive since the pandemic began last March.
Elsewhere, the province reported 3,945 new cases of the novel coronavirus Sunday, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 215,782.
It marks one of the largest single-day increases in cases in Ontario since the pandemic began. On Friday, 4,249 cases were reported, though around 450 of those were part of a data backlog.
Sixty-one additional deaths were also announced, bringing the provincial death toll to 4,983.
*With files from Global News’ Ryan Rocca