THUNDER BAY - The province is reporting a new record high number of COVID-19 cases with 2,447.
The previous record daily high was reported last week at 2,432 and the seven-day average of new cases is now 2,306.
Cases continue to climb across the province and there have been more than 2,000 daily cases reported for the last week.
The province also confirmed 49 deaths related to the virus on Thursday.
The numbers come as Ontarians prepare for a province-wide lockdown that is set to take effect on Dec. 26. The lockdown will last for 14 days in Northern Ontario and 28 days in Southern Ontario, which has regions reporting the highest number of cases.
New modeling released earlier this week showed the province could see as many as 5,000 new cases per day by the end of January if no measures are taken.
The modeling also showed that under worst-case scenarios, ICU occupancy could reach more than 1,500 by mid-January.
There are growing concerns that following the holiday season there could be an even greater surge in cases and public health officials are advising against large social gatherings.
To date, there has been a total of 165,110 cases of COVID-19 reported in Ontario, with 141,023 considered resolved, 967 hospitalizations, and 4,278 deaths.
