Canada adds over 2,500 new coronavirus cases, breaking previous day’s record

Canada reported 2,554 new cases of the novel coronavirus Friday, setting another record high for daily reported infections.

Friday’s total — only surpassed by the case count on May 3 which was inflated due to a delay in reporting in Quebec — brings the number of COVID-19 cases in Canada to 177,931.

Records for daily reported coronavirus infections have been broken every day over the past eight days except for Wednesday, which saw 1,795 new infections.

Canada also added another 28 deaths from the virus on Friday, though 18 in Quebec had occurred at an unknown date.

The fatalities bring Canada’s death toll to 9,585, while more than 149,500 people have recovered from the virus and over 9.7 million tests have been administered.

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In a tweet Friday, Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said that an average of 71,664 people have been tested daily over the past week, 2.5 per cent testing positive.

At a press conference Friday, Tam cited new modelling that showed that an acceleration of the pandemic in Canada unless Canadians reduced their contact with others.

The modelling suggested that cumulative cases of the virus could range between 188,150 to 197,830 by Oct. 17, while the country’s death toll could be as high as 9,800.

In an announcement Friday, the Canadian government also vowed to create and revamp business support programs to keep businesses afloat amid the surge of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a press conference Friday that Ottawa was planning to provide a wage subsidy program that will cover up to 65 per cent of eligible costs through December and a rent support program for commercial tenants, among other updates to bolster Canada’s economic response to the virus.

Quebec reported the highest increase in new COVID-19 cases on Friday, with 1,102 new cases. Another 22 deaths were also announced by the province on Friday, though only four had occurred in the last 24 hours.

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Friday’s data pushes the province’s total coronavirus cases to 84,094 and its deaths to 5,936 — the highest among all provinces in Canada.

Ontario added 939 new cases on Friday, its highest-ever daily increase in new infections since the start of the pandemic. Friday’s cases bring the province’s total confirmed cases to 57,681, while another five new deaths bring the death toll to 2,997.

As case numbers continued to surge across in the province, Ontario announced several temporary measures under modified Stage 2 plans for parts of Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa on Friday in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.

Alberta announced 277 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, raising its total lab-confirmed cases to 19,995. One new death was also announced on Friday, though health authorities removed two fatalities originally thought to be COVID-19 related from the province’s death toll.

Alberta’s death toll from the virus now stands at 282, while a total of 17,488 patients have since recovered.

British Columbia reported 119 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, raising its total confirmed cases to 9,999. A further 186 people are also considered “epidemiologically-linked,” by the province, which are patients who exhibit typical coronavirus symptoms and are close to confirmed cases, but were never formally diagnosed.

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Four of the cases announced Friday were classified as epi-linked. No new deaths were announced by the province on Friday, with B.C.’s death toll standing at 245.

Saskatchewan added 22 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday — its highest daily increase in new infections since Aug. 15.

The province’s number of lab-confirmed cases now sits at 2,034, and its death toll at 24. A total of 1,871 patients have also recovered from the virus.

Manitoba added 84 new cases on Friday, raising the province’s total number of infections to 2,428 — of which an unknown number are considered probable cases.

The province’s death toll from the virus now stands at 30, after three people were confirmed to have died from the virus Thursday.

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Newfoundland and Labrador added two new cases on Friday, raising its total infections to 279. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. reported no new cases of the virus Friday.

Worldwide, cases of the virus have surpassed 36.7 million according to a running tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. More than 1,064,000 people have succumbed to the virus globally.

— With files from the Canadian Press and Global News’ Kerri Breen.