Canada reported another 2,951 new cases of the novel coronavirus Thursday, nearly hitting the daily record set just days ago.
It’s the second-highest number of daily confirmed infections since the beginning of the pandemic, behind the 3,004 reported on Sunday.
The new cases account for just over three per cent of the 92,328 tests completed over the past day, according to provincial health data.
Canada has now seen a total of 228,301 confirmed cases of COVID-19 to date, of which 191,208 have recovered from the disease. Over 11.5 million tests have been completed.
Forty-two new deaths were also reported Thursday, bringing the national death toll to 10,074. Over a third of those deaths were historical and did not occur over the past 24 hours.
Out of the 17,043 active cases across the country right now, 1,168 are in hospital — 11 more than Wednesday’s total.
Ontario and Quebec once again had the highest provincial totals of new cases Thursday, although Ontario said its latest projections show the growth of the virus across the province is slowing.
“Most indicators are showing a slowing growth,” said Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, who is advising the province on its response to the pandemic. “But cases are continuing to climb.”
Ontario reported 934 new cases and 10 more deaths, bringing the province’s totals to 73,819 confirmed infections and 3,118 deaths. More than 63,000 patients have recovered, while 322 are currently in hospital.
In Quebec, 1,030 more cases were reported along with 25 deaths. Eight of those deaths occurred over the past 24 hours, officials said, while the rest date back before Tuesday.
The province remains the hardest hit by the pandemic, with 103,844 cases and 6,214 deaths to date. Of the remaining cases, 88,442 have recovered while 509 have been hospitalized.
Another daily record was set in Manitoba with 193 new cases, bringing its total to 4,894 infections. The province’s death toll rose to 62 after four more deaths were also reported, while a total of 2,423 patients have recovered. Nearly 100 active cases are in hospital.
Saskatchewan also hit a new record for daily infections with 82, although no new deaths were reported. Officials have now confirmed 2,990 cases to date, along with 25 deaths and 2,258 recoveries. Twenty people are now in hospital.
In Alberta, 477 new cases were announced along with five more deaths, bringing its totals to 27,042 infections and 318 fatalities. The province says 130 patients are currently in hospital, though another 21,803 cases have recovered.
British Columbia saw 230 lab-confirmed cases and four additional “epidemiologically linked” cases that have not been confirmed through laboratory testing.
One additional death was also announced, a senior who had attended a small birthday party with less than 10 people who all became infected.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the case was a representation of the challenge the province is currently facing, as the surge in cases has been linked to social gatherings.
“It reminds us that this virus can’t tell the difference, and even a small gathering when this virus is circulating can be dangerous,” she said.
B.C. has seen a total of 13,868 confirmed cases and 241 additional “epi-linked” cases to date, of whom 262 have now died and 11,448 more have recovered. Of the province’s record-high 2,344 active cases, 86 are in hospital.
New Brunswick was the only Atlantic province to report any cases Thursday, confirming four new infections. The province’s total cases now stands at 341, of whom six have died and 294 have recovered. Four of the 41 active cases in New Brunswick are in hospital.
Nova Scotia has seen 1,102 cases and 65 deaths to date, while Newfoundland and Labrador’s total sits at 291 cases and four deaths. Each of the two provinces has four active cases.
Prince Edward Island’s last update on Tuesday said only one of the province’s 64 cases to date is active, while the rest have recovered.
In the territories, Yukon reported a new case Thursday, taking its total to 23 cases to date. Of those, 17 have recovered, and none have died.
The Northwest Territories has seen 10 cases so far, eight of whom have recovered. Nunavut remains free of local confirmed cases.
The past two days has seen both the United States and the world at large shatter previous records for daily cases, as a second wave of the pandemic continues to overwhelm many countries — particularly in Europe.
Over 530,000 new cases globally were reported on Wednesday alone, according to Johns Hopkins University, which tracks public health data around the world.
And on Thursday, the COVID Tracking Project said the U.S. hit a new record of over 88,000 new cases, while over 1,000 people died in 24 hours.
The U.S. remains the most infected country in terms of both confirmed cases, at over 8.94 million, and deaths, around 228,000.
The cases account for roughly 20 per cent of the nearly 44.9 million cases confirmed globally so far. The worldwide death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1.18 million.
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