The ACT has recorded 32 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, the "equal highest" number of infections recorded in the territory.

At least 24 of the new cases spent some time in the community while infectious.

Six of the new cases are currently unable to be linked to other known cases.

There are 10 people in hospital with the virus, four in intensive care and three requiring ventilation.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr described the number of people infectious in the community as "the bad news" but said the good news was a high number had been able to be linked.

There are currently 233 active cases in the territory.

Nine residents of aged care home test positive

Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman confirmed that 10 of the new cases were linked to the Calvary Haydon Retirement Community — nine residents and a staff member.

The total number of positive cases linked to the aged care facility is now 12, after two other staff members were revealed to have been infected earlier in the week.

But Dr Coleman said while it was the "first significant impact" on a retirement facility the ACT had experienced since the start of the pandemic, the outbreak was not as concerning as a similar cluster would have been last year.

She said all staff at the facility had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 53 per cent were fully vaccinated. None of the staff work at other healthcare facilities.

Of the residents, 92 per cent are fully vaccinated and 97 per cent have had a first dose, accounting for a "very high level of protection", Dr Coleman said.

"We are much better situated this year."

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Dr Coleman said health authorities were still investigating how the virus was transmitted to residents, despite efforts made by staff to be COVID-safe.

"But I do think that we're going to have to become used to the fact that we will start to see more and more transmission, as we open up as we get more comfortable with our vaccination coverage," she said.

"So, I absolutely agree it's really important that we try and work out where source and linkages are at this point in time, but there will come a time in the future where we won't be able to talk about how and where and when we saw what happened."

Ward locked down after two patients test positive at Canberra Hospital

Two people have also tested positive to the virus in a ward at the Canberra Hospital, one of whom had been unknowingly positive while in the hospital since September 18 and had given it to another patient in the same room.

The initial case was in the hospital for reasons unrelated to COVID-19 and had been asymptomatic.

Canberra Health Services deputy CEO David Peffer called it an "evolving situation" after the pair tested positive overnight.

"Our infectious diseases team has responded very rapidly overnight, and this morning, establishing an incident management team, and conducting a thorough risk assessment of the situation," he said.

"Patients who have already been discharged from that ward since the presentation … are in the process of being contacted and advised to test and quarantine."

Mr Peffer said while the cases were concerning, the hospital was well prepared for this sort of scenario and had been through it before.

"We do certainly plan for this sort of incident occurring," he said.

"I'm very grateful for the expertise and the commitment of our infection prevention control and infectious disease experts who respond to this very quickly for us."

A pop-up testing facility has now been established in Watson after a growing cluster was detected in the north Canberra suburb.

Yesterday Dr Coleman said a number of cases that were unable to be linked to known infections or transmission sites were of concern to health authorities.

The testing site was established to help people who had difficulty accessing another site, and is open to children aged under five.

Dr Coleman said that this morning up to 11:00am, about 100 tests had been conducted at the site at a "slow and steady" rate.

Mr Barr urged people to get tested if they had any symptoms.

"So if you are a Watson resident, please get tested, either at this pop-up clinic at the neighbourhood oval or by the Exhibition Park clinic," he said.

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