TORONTO -- Ontario is reporting another 1,700 new cases of COVID-19 as testing for the disease falls well below the province’s own daily goal of 50,000.

The 1,707 new infections represent a slight decrease over Monday’s total when 1,746 cases were logged.

With 34,640 tests performed in the last 24 hours, the province’s COVID-19 positivity rate now stands at 5.1 per cent, the highest its been in more than a week.

Tuesday’s report brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in Ontario to 118,199, including deaths and recoveries.

Seven deaths related to the novel coronavirus were recorded in the previous day, raising the province’s COVID-19 death toll to 3,663. Six of those deaths were residents of a long-term care home. 

Another 1,373 people have also recovered from COVID-19 since yesterday pushing the total number of resolved cases to 100,012.

Of the cases added Tuesday, 666 were found in people between the ages of 20 and 39. That age group leads the province in COVID-19 infections with a cumulative case count of 43,126.

Cases in people between the ages of 40 and 59 followed closely behind with 511 new infections reported.

At least 255 cases were logged in people 19 years of age and younger.

Another 219 cases were found in people between the ages of 60 and 79. Fifty-five cases were found in those 80 years of age and older.  

Toronto reports record number of cases for second consecutive day

More than 700 of the new cases reported Tuesday were found in Toronto, smashing the previous record set by the city a day prior.

Speaking at a news conference Monday, Toronto’s top doctor, Eileen de Villa, told residents at the time to “keep their guard up” as case numbers in the city climb to new heights.

“I hope it does not take a high number like the one we have today to make that point resonate,” she said while announcing the 643 new infections.

Toronto and Peel Region -- which reported 373 new cases Tuesday -- have been operating in the “grey zone” of the province’s COVID-19 framework, which prohibits most non-essential activities, since last Monday.

Those measures are set to last a minimum of 28 days.

The only other region in the province to record case numbers in the triple digits is York Region with 168 new cases.

York Region is currently in the “red zone” of the framework which caps the size of indoor gatherings and limits a number of other non-essential activities.

Durham Region, the City of Hamilton, Halton Region, Waterloo and Windsor-Essex are also operating in the “red zone” and each recorded new case numbers in the double digits Tuesday. 

Right now, there are 645 patients in an Ontario hospital with COVID-19. Of those patients, 185 are being treated in an intensive care unit and 112 are on a ventilator. 

More than 34,000 COVID-19 tests remain under investigation.