Ontario set a new record for COVID-19 cases detected for the second time this week, with 2,432 new infections, as 23 more deaths were reported and intensive care unit occupancy and ventilator use continued to rise.

"Locally, there are 737 new cases in Toronto, 434 in Peel, 209 in York Region, 190 in Windsor-Essex County and 142 in Hamilton," Health Minister Christine Elliott wrote on Twitter.

Ontario reported 2,139 new cases on Wednesday, a then-record of 2,275 on Tuesday and 1,940 new cases on Monday.

There are now 17,484 active cases of novel coronavirus infection in the province, up from 16,233 last week, along with 4,058 deaths and 127,425 recoveries.

Thirteen of the 23 deaths involved residents of long-term care homes. One those who died was between the ages of 20 and 39, Public Health Ontario said.

Provincial labs turned around 58,000 test specimens in the past 24 hours, generated a positivity rate when duplicates and errors are included of four per cent. Another 78,000 specimens remain under investigation.

Infectious diseases specialist and Ontario COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force member Dr. Isaac Bogoch said that the current lockdown in Toronto and Peel Region has not really had the desired impact.

“With all the challenges that it has, and all of the negative impact it has on businesses and individuals, it slowed the rate of new infection. But of course we haven’t really seen a real plateau and we haven’t seen the rates come down.”

He said the province must pull any “lever” it can identify that will get spread under control, or hospitals will be overwhelmed.

There were 933 people being treated for COVID-19 symptoms in Ontario hospitals on Thursday, down from 932 yesterday. But intensive care unit occupancy rose to 276 and 172 people were breathing with the help of a ventilator, up 15 since Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Ontario Hospital Association called Thursday for the province to enact a 28-day lockdown to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed.

“We ask for understanding and support as we reluctantly and with deep regret recommend that as a minimum, the government implement and robustly enforce a four-week lockdown in every public health unit with an infection rate of 40/100,000 population or higher.”

The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario echoed this sentiment Thursday, calling for a province-wide lockdown.

Using 40 infections per 100,000 people as a threshold would mean the lockdown would encompass most of the urban areas in the province.

Toronto and Mississauga’s mayors have asked the province to enact a GTA-wide lockdown.

Elsewhere in the GTA, Durham Region reported 73 new cases and Halton Region reported 104 new infections.