Over 400 new coronavirus cases in Canada as Quebec, Alberta, Sask. record spikes

Canada saw over 400 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the country’s figures closer to 110,000 cases of COVID-19.

The death toll rose by 17 to just over 8,800, the majority of them in Quebec and Ontario.

Nearly 73,000 people — or almost 67 per cent of all confirmed cases in Canada — are considered recovered. More than 3.5 million tests have taken place.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday that the federal government will contribute $19 billion to provinces for things like child care, contact tracing and personal protective equipment, as well as bailing out cities facing rising expenses.

Quebec has recorded the most cases of any region in the country, with 57,000 cases and more than 5,600 deaths. Thursday saw the province record its highest single-day case increase since mid-June: 142 new cases and nine deaths compared to the previous 24 hours.

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Quebec Premier François Legault has said he is worried by the spike in cases in the province, and that bars and clubs may have to close again after a series of outbreaks in the Montreal area.

Ontario saw 111 new cases and five new deaths, for a total of around 37,000 cases and more than 2,700 deaths. The past several weeks have seen daily case numbers go down overall.

Alberta reported a spike in cases, recording 120 new ones on Thursday and two new deaths. There are now 807 active cases in the province, with a death toll of 165 and a total caseload of 9,114.

Saskatchewan also reported a jump in cases, with 42 new ones recorded Thursday. This takes the province to more than 900 cases, with 114 of them considered active. Saskatchewan has seen 15 deaths so far.

British Columbia saw 18 new cases and no new deaths, as the province’s top doctor Dr. Bonnie Henry warned that 27 cases of COVID-19 have been linked with private parties in Kelowna in June and July.

Manitoba saw one new case. The province has recorded more than 300 cases so far, including seven deaths.

Atlantic provinces

There were no new cases reported in all four Atlantic provinces on Thursday. Nova Scotia has only two active cases while Newfoundland and Labrador has one active case.

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New Brunswick has three active cases, out of 168 total cases. Prince Edward Island has 36 cases in total, with 27 considered recovered.

There were no new cases reported in the Northwest Territories and Yukon. Nunavut saw two presumptive cases on July 15 and is awaiting confirmation from a lab.

Globally the virus has resulted in more than 13.6 million cases — more than 3.5 million of them in the U.S. alone — and more than 586,000 deaths, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. has the highest death toll in the world, with around 138,000 people dead.