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Canada reported just under 6,000 new coronavirus infections on Friday, setting another daily record as health officials across the country continue their demands to the public to slow the spread of the pandemic.
The 5,963 new cases reported on Friday brought the national total to 358,741. Of these, 286,500 patients are now considered cured of the virus.
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Friday’s cases more than tripled the highest number of daily cases seen in April, when the first wave of the pandemic crested. It’s also the eighth new record set this month alone as the virus spreads like wildfire in communities across the country.
As cases explode, Canadians are admitting to feeling fatigued by the ongoing pandemic. A new Ipsos poll released Friday found nearly half of respondents are getting tired of public health measures, even though nearly 90 per cent still intend to take them seriously.
On Twitter, Canada’s chief medical health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said that attitude was the only defence against further spread of COVID-19.
“As with our last effort to bend the curve, this won’t be a quick solution, but a test of our determination and endurance,” she wrote.
“With resilience and resolve, let’s focus on what we can do to protect our families, friends & communities.”
Provinces and territories are also anxiously awaiting news on when a vaccine will be publicly available.
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On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the “majority of Canadians” should be vaccinated by next September “if all goes according to plan,” citing the best doctors in the country.
One of those doctors, Deputy Chief of Public Health Dr. Howard Njoo, said the timing was “optimistic,” but added that he shares this optimism with the prime minister.
Njoo and other officials said this week that they expect a first round of six million vaccination doses to be delivered to provinces and territories in early 2021 and expect at least one candidate vaccine to be approved by the end of this year. .
Ontario set a new daily record on Friday after reporting 1,855 new cases along with 20 new deaths. The province’s health minister said the staggering total is not unexpected, as restrictions in hard-hit areas like Toronto only came in on Monday.
Christine Elliot said the growing infections stem in part from some of the events and celebrations that have taken place in the province in recent weeks.
Quebec reported 1,269 more infections and another 38 deaths. The province’s death toll, already the highest in the country, is close to 7,000.
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Saskatchewan and Manitoba reported 329 and 344 new cases, respectively. Both provinces also saw new deaths: Saskatchewan reported that four other people had died, while another 14 deaths occurred in Manitoba.
New restrictions came into effect in Saskatchewan on Friday banning all team sports and limiting capacity in public places like churches, cinemas and casinos to 30 people.
Alberta added another 1,227 new cases and nine more deaths. The province has more active cases than any other jurisdiction in Canada and has the highest seven-day infection rate in the country, according to federal data, with 209 cases per 100,000 people.
New measures came into effect on Friday to help contain the spike in cases. Indoor private social gatherings are banned, capacity limits have been imposed on shops, and students between grades 7 and 12 switch to distance learning on Monday.
The province’s justice minister said 700 other peace officers were given the power to enforce these restrictions.
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British Columbia also set a new record with 911 new cases, while another 11 deaths were also reported. Admissions also exceeded 300 for the first time ever.
Cases continue to rise nearly three weeks after new and stringent restrictions were imposed in parts of the province where infections are high, suggesting they have not been effective. Health officials said workplaces, which were not included in the orders, have become a major source of transmission.
In Atlantic Canada, three provinces reported a total of 25 new cases, although no new deaths have been reported. Prince Edward Island did not release any new test data on Friday.
Four more cases have been reported in Nunavut and three more have been added in the Yukon, while the Northwest Territories have reported no new infections. That territory is the only jurisdiction in Canada with no active cases.
As of 9 p.m. ET, more than 61.5 million infections have been confirmed worldwide since the start of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University. The global death toll exceeded 1.44 million.
The United States continues to lead the world in both cases and deaths, both of which have grown at alarming rates this month. The country passed 13 million cases on Friday, while more than 264,000 people have died to date.
– With files by Rachel Gilmore of Global and the Canadian Press
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© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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