Canada's COVID-19 cases continue to surge, over 9,000 cases reported on Monday

(Credits: Reuters)

Ottawa: Canada`s COVID-19 cases continued to surge on Monday (December 20, 2021) as the Omicron variant rapidly took hold in the country.

Canada reported 9,294 new COVID-19 cases as of Monday afternoon, raising the cumulative total to 1,892,511 cases including 30,054 deaths, according to CTV.

Quebec, a populous province of Canada, reported 4,571 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, most cases of COVID-19 in a single day, as new measures aimed to limit the spread of the Omicron variant come into effect.

Of the 4,571 cases, 1,258 were from unvaccinated people, 220 were from people with one dose, and 3,093 cases were from people who got their second dose of the vaccine more than seven days ago.

The Quebec government is shutting down several public settings Monday evening, including bars, taverns, casinos, theatres, gyms and even schools as cases of COVID-19 are soaring.Those establishments will be closed as of 5 p.m. Monday.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced the new restrictions last week amid a surge in cases and modeling predictions that showed an already fragile health system could be overwhelmed in a matter of weeks.

In addition to the measures aimed at reducing contacts, Quebec is accelerating its rollout of booster shots. As of Monday, Quebecers aged 65 and over can book an appointment for a third dose.Since the start of the COVID-19 health crisis, the province has recorded 490,294 infections, 452,509 recoveries and 11,642 deaths.

Quebec also set a record for the positivity rate for new cases. It`s now at 10.1 percent. Meanwhile, Ontario, the most populous province of Canada, reported 3,783 new COVID-19 cases on Monday as the positivity rate rose to a level unseen since early May.

Of the 3,783 new infections reported on Monday, 471 cases were identified in children under the age of 12. The province also recorded 381 cases in youth between the ages of 12 and 19 and another 1,633 cases in people between the ages of 20 and 39.

Today`s case count comes just a day after the province confirmed the highest daily count since late April with 4,177 new cases. Before that, officials confirmed 3,301 new cases on Saturday, 3,124 on Friday and 2.421 on Thursday.

Today`s report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 653,727, including deaths and recoveries.

Manitoba province confirmed 809 new COVID-19 cases on Monday.