2,145 more coronavirus cases confirmed as Canadian total pushes past 215,000

Canada added 2,145 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus to its nationwide tally on Sunday, along with 24 more deaths.

So far, 215,884 people in Canada have tested positive for the virus, while the country’s death toll stands at 9,946. Since the pandemic began, 181,429 people have recovered after falling ill and more than 11.1 million tests have been administered.

Sunday’s numbers represent a partial update on the pandemic because B.C., Alberta, P.E.I. and the territories only provide new figures on weekdays.

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said the latest national data showed Canada was averaging 2,488 newly confirmed cases and 74,719 tests conducted per day, Of those tested, she said 3.1 per cent resulted in a positive diagnosis.

“Outbreaks continue to contribute to COVID-19 spread in Canada,” Tam said in a statement.

“These vary in size from just a few cases to larger clusters occurring in a range of settings including long term care and assisted living facilities, schools, congregate living settings, industrial work settings and large social gatherings.”

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In Quebec — the country’s viral epicentre — health officials reported 879 new cases of COVID-19, tipping the provincial total past 100,000.

They added 11 more people had died, moving the number of deaths in the province up to 6,143.

As of Sunday, 84,828 people residing in the province had recovered and more than 2.9 million COVID-19 tests had been administered.

Ontario health officials detected 1,042 more infections of the virus, setting a new single-day record, and said seven more people had died.

Since the pandemic began, the province has confirmed 70,373 cases of COVID-19 and 3,093 deaths.

More than 4.9 million tests for the virus have been conducted while 60,160 people are in recovery.

In the wake of the province’s grim milestone, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott urged Canadians to follow public health guidelines and reduce the curve in a series of posts on Twitter.

“We all need to do our part to #StopTheSpread of #COVID19,” she tweeted.

Sixty more people were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, bringing the province’s national number to 2,729. So far, 25 people in the province have died from the virus, 2,085 have recovered and 247,909 tests have been administered by provincial health authorities. Twenty five people are in hospital and 619 cases are active.

The number of active cases and hospitalizations are at their highest levels seen in the province.

Scott Moe, who is seeking reelection as premier this week, said during a campaign stop on Saturday that the spread of the coronavirus could be curbed without having to resort to shutdowns.

“We will not have to have an economy-wide shutdown. We understand the virus much better,” he said.

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In Manitoba, health authorities said four more people had died and 161 new cases of COVID-19 were detected. Since the start of the pandemic, the province has reported 4,249 cases and 54 deaths.

By Sunday, 2,142 people had recovered after falling ill and officials conducted 240,639 tests.

Two more COVID-19-related deaths were recorded in New Brunswick on Sunday.

“I extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the individuals, as well as to all of those in the Campbellton-Restigouche and Moncton regions,” chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell said in a statement.

“Kindness and compassion, along with strict adherence to two-metre distancing, and mask use are how we will get through this together.”

The province also reported two new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 328 confirmed infections and six deaths. So far, 96,747 tests have been administered and 257 of the province’s confirmed cases are considered resolved.

Newfoundland and Labrador reported one more case of the virus on Sunday, bringing its total to 280. The case is tied to travel, officials said.

Among the provinces that provided updates on Saturday, Nova Scotia was the only one that did not see any new cases. The cumulative total stands at 1,110 infections, only six of which are currently active.