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COVID-19’s fall resurgence reaches new daily case highs in Quebec, Ontario

The fall resurgence of COVID-19 continued to smash daily infection records in Quebec and Ontario on Sunday, while devastating outbreaks at two Winnipeg long-term care homes sparked an official investigation by the provincial government.
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The fall resurgence of COVID-19 continued to smash daily infection records in Quebec and Ontario on Sunday, while devastating outbreaks at two Winnipeg long-term care homes sparked an official investigation by the provincial government.

Quebec reported 1,397 new cases, up slightly from a previous record set about one month ago, while Ontario announced 1,328 daily cases, nearly 200 more than Saturday’s record-breaking tally.

Nationally, the Public Health Agency of Canada reported 262,466 confirmed cases Sunday afternoon, with worrisome spikes in several regions.

That included Manitoba, which reported 441 new COVID-19 cases and three new deaths — all women in the Winnipeg health region.

Earlier in the day, Health Minister Cameron Friesen said the province would launch an independent investigation into how a jump in cases and deaths were handled at Parkview Place and Maples Personal Care Home, both owned by Revera.

At the Maples home, seven deaths within two days have been linked to COVID-19.

“Manitobans need answers,” Friesen said.

Meanwhile, British Columbia’s Lower Mainland began adjusting to new restrictions meant to rein in an explosion of cases.

The province reported 567 new cases Saturday, most of them in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health regions.

That was followed by tight new measures that banned socializing outside of households and strongly discouraged travel outside of the two regions for the next two weeks.

Indoor physical group activities such as yoga and spin class were also paused, while local health officials said they would close businesses that don’t have COVID-19 safety plans in place.

Canada’s chief public health officer said Sunday an average of more than 60,938 people have been tested daily over the past week, with 4.7 per cent testing positive.

Community spread was of particular concern in Nova Scotia, where Premier Stephen McNeil released a statement saying he’s worried about the growing number of potential exposures in and around Halifax.

Early Sunday, public health officials said anyone at a Halifax martini bar on Monday night should get tested for COVID-19. Similar warnings have been issued for sports venues and the city transit system in recent days.

Nova Scotia had 20 active COVID-19 cases as of Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2020.

The Canadian Press