The government of Canada’s health website said the total case count was 2,000,976 as of Boxing Day. On Monday, Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba each reported thousands of additional cases, as well as many deaths.
Quebec, the second most populous Canadian province, has been setting daily records since the Omicron variant started a new wave of rapidly rising infections.
On Monday, the province recorded 12,833 new cases – the highest one-day count of any region in Canada during the pandemic, according to Reuters. This brings the total number of people infected to 559,270.
The province’s health officials also confirmed 15 more deaths, a total of 11,692. The positivity rate in Quebec is now 26.8 percent and the seven-day average sits at 9,133.
Health officials note the risk of infection for people who are not vaccinated is 12.1 times higher than that of someone who received two doses of the vaccine.
Perhaps because of the healthcare crisis ongoing in Quebec, Health Minister Christian Dube said Tuesday the province has “no choice” but to allow some essential workers to continue working even after testing positive for COVID-19 to prevent staff shortages.
“Omicron’s contagion is so exponential, that a huge number of personnel have to be withdrawn – and that poses a risk to the network capacity to treat Quebecers,” Dube told reporters at a briefing.
Ontario reported 9,418 new cases of COVID-19, which was down slightly from the record-breaking numbers on Christmas Day.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said 480 people were in the hospital because of COVID-19 and 176 in intensive care.
Manitoba set a new record on Tuesday, recording 825 new cases. This brings the active case count to 6,546. The five-day test positivity rate now sits at 21.9 percent. Manitoba also recorded five new deaths, bringing the death toll to 1,383.
