445 new coronavirus cases pushes Canada past 111,000 as curve begins to rise

Canada added 445 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus Monday, continuing an upward trend in daily infections that stretched through the weekend.

The new cases bring the country’s total to 111,096, although over 97,000 of those patients have since recovered, representing over 87 per cent of the total to date.

Six new deaths were also reported Monday, raising Canada’s death toll from the COVID-19 respiratory illness to 8,858.

The data reported by some provinces Monday also included new case counts from Saturday and Sunday — pushing those daily totals even higher and representing the highest counts in weeks for some jurisdictions.

British Columbia and Alberta, which both took the weekend off from reporting data, confirmed three-day totals of 102 and 368 new cases, respectively. Alberta reported a total of three new deaths during that time.

Saturday marked a particularly high infection rate for the two western-most provinces. The 51 new cases in B.C. and 165 for Alberta marked their highest daily case counts since early May.

Comparatively, Monday’s totals — 97 for Alberta, 32 for B.C. — were far lower, though represent higher numbers than what both provinces were seeing late last month into early July.

New cases hit double digits in Saskatchewan, which saw 19 more infections Monday, and Manitoba, which reported 11, plus seven more from over the weekend.

Ontario and Quebec continue to represent the majority of new cases nationwide, however. Two new deaths and 150 more cases were announced in Quebec, while Ontario reported 135 cases and one additional death.

Both provinces are still seeing relatively lower numbers compared to the height of the pandemic earlier this year, however.

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New Brunswick reported an additional case Monday, the only Atlantic province to do so.

None of the three territories reported new cases, although Nunavut is still awaiting confirmation of two presumptive infections announced late last week. They would be that territory’s first ever cases if confirmed.

While Canada had been averaging around 300 new cases daily and less earlier this month, infections have begun to rise again across the country.

The latest data now shows Saturday saw nearly 550 new infections, marking the highest daily total since early June. Daily counts have been over 400 since July 16.

Public health officials have suggested cases will rise as more businesses reopen and physical distancing guidelines are gradually loosened, and are urging people to continue wearing masks indoors and to practice intensive hygiene routines.

Despite the climbing numbers, Canada is faring far better than several other countries around the world, which are seeing infections escalate at an alarming rate — including the United States.

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According to public health data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, over 14.6 million cases have been confirmed worldwide, 608,000 of whom have died.

The U.S. remains the most infected country by far, with at least 3.8 million cases and nearly 141,000 deaths. Daily case counts there remain staggeringly high, with just under 62,000 cases confirmed on Sunday alone.

Experts say the actual number of infections is likely up to 10 times higher globally, due to minimal testing capacity in the early months of the pandemic.