With 18,000 cases and counting, Canada sets another COVID-19 record

Canada set a new daily record for COVID-19 infections on Thursday with 18,653 cases reported, the vast majority of which are in Ontario and Quebec.

The figure, compiled by CTVNews.ca, is recent as of 6 p.m. EST. British Columbia and Northwest Territories have yet to report.

The seven-day rolling average for new daily cases climbed to 12,167.3, also a new high. As it stands, 43.09 new cases are being reported for every 100,000 people.

Cases have risen swiftly this month as more people spend time indoors and gather for the holidays, and as the new Omicron variant continues to spread. Provinces also have attempted to make vaccine booster shots and rapid tests more accessible over the holiday season.

On Wednesday, 14,987 new cases were reported, along with 11,692 on Tuesday and 10,665 on Monday.

Nearly all of the new cases reported Thursday are from Ontario and Quebec.

Ontario logged a record 5,790 new infections on Thursday, surpassing a previous high of 4,812 on April 16.

The province’s positivity rate rose to 16 per cent, the highest it’s ever been.

Most of the new cases, or 4,392, involved people who are fully vaccinated, while the rest, 1,398, involved people who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.

Although the gap has narrowed in recent weeks, a greater proportion of Ontarians who are unvaccinated are still contracting COVID-19 at a rate of 27.8 per 100,000 people, compared to those who are fully vaccinated at 25.71.

Currently, 81 per cent of Ontarians eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine are fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated residents also continue to be disproportionately admitted into intensive care. The province reported seven new deaths.

But the largest surge came in Quebec where 9,397 new cases were reported, a nearly 50 per cent increase over the previous record of 6,361 set just the day before. Six more people died in the province due to COVID-19.

Prince Edward Island also set a new daily high with 35 new infections on Thursday, while one new case was reported in Nunavut.

Manitoba reported 556 new cases, one death and 239 recoveries, while Newfoundland and Labrador logged 100 new cases and nine recoveries.

New Brunswick reported a new daily high of 257 cases, with two new deaths.

Saskatchewan announced 194 new cases, one death and 35 recoveries.

In Alberta, the provincial government reported 1,625 new infections from 11,800 tests, which translates to a positivity rate of 13.6 per cent. There were no deaths within the previous 24 hours.

Nova Scotia announced there were 689 new COVID-19 cases, with 3,844 active cases in total.