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Canada’s chief public health officer has sounded the alarm over a troubling new trend in COVID-19 infections as the country’s case count rose by more than 2,000 on Saturday.
Statistics show that while the summer saw cases concentrated in people ages 20 to 39, infection rates are now accelerating in older populations, Dr. Theresa Tam said.
Reports of outbreaks in long-term care centres and retirement homes have been rising in recent weeks but seem to be more contained than the eruption of cases that overwhelmed some facilities in April and May, she said.
“We all have a shared responsibility to help protect those at highest risk,” Tam said in a statement. “When spread of COVID-19 is kept to low levels in the community, this decreases the risk of exposure for older Canadians.”
Health officials in New Brunswick reported 20 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the highest daily total yet in the province, which has 57 active cases.
Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer, said nine of these new cases are related to the outbreak at Moncton’s Manoir Notre-Dame care home for seniors.
Last week, the special-care home reported 13 residents and four staff members had tested positive for COVID-19.
Russell said 12 of the new cases are in the Moncton region and seven are in the Campbellton region. Both regions remain in the “orange” level of restrictions under the province’s COVID-19 plan.
What’s happening elsewhere in Canada
As of 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Canada had 181,772 confirmed or presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 152,206 of those as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC’s reporting stood at 9,612.
Manitoba reported two more deaths and 97 new cases on Saturday. The one-day jump in new cases is a new high for Manitoba, coming just a day after the previous record was set.
Ontario reported 649 new cases on Sunday — 157 new cases in Peel Region, 140 in Toronto, 87 in York Region and 54 in Ottawa, Health Minister Christine Elliott said in a tweet.
On Saturday, there were 809 new cases in the province, including 358 in Toronto, 123 in Peel Region, 94 in Ottawa and 85 in York Region. Those undergoing COVID treatment in hospital provincewide dropped from 225 to 213 on Saturday.
The numbers come on the first day of the province’s new measures to curb the consistent climb of cases in those hot spots, including closing gyms, movie theatres and casinos, and suspending indoor dining at bars and restaurants — returning to a modified Stage 2 in the three regions for 28 days.
WATCH | Ottawa gym owner on closures:
Ashley Mathieu, who owns two Anytime Fitness locations, is frustrated her business is being closed in the current shutdown. 0:57
Saskatchewan saw a second-consecutive day of double-digit increases in cases on Saturday, recording 34 more. This follows 22 new cases reported on Friday.
In Quebec, health officials confirmed 942 new cases Sunday and three more deaths. As of Saturday, the province had reported more than 1,000 new infections for the eighth time in nine days.
Premier François Legault asked Quebecers to make sacrifices and avoid socializing over the long weekend as 433 more people landed in hospital — up eight patients from the day before, with 67 people in intensive care, one less than the day before.
WATCH | Quebec, Ontario target hardest-hit regions with new restrictions:
Ontario and Quebec are introducing measures in the regions hardest hit by COVID-19 to try to slow the spread of the pandemic. Both provinces have seen surges in case counts. 6:00
Nova Scotia added three new cases on Saturday, leaving the province with a total of five active cases.
Newfoundland and Labrador also added three new cases on Saturday for a total of nine active cases.
Prince Edward Island reported two new cases on Sunday that involved men who recently travelled within Canada but outside the Atlantic bubble. The two cases are not related, the province’s chief public health office said.
The Northwest Territories announced that travellers and employees will be required to wear a mask while inside the territory’s airport terminal buildings, starting next Tuesday.
What’s happening around the world
According to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the global total of confirmed coronavirus cases stands at more than 37.2 million. More than one million people have died, while more than 25.9 million have recovered.
Africa has seen more than 1.5 million confirmed cases and more than 37,000 deaths. The majority of the cases on the continent are in South Africa, which accounts for more than 688,000 cases.
India‘s confirmed coronavirus toll now exceeds seven million, and on Sunday the country reported another 74,383 cases. India is expected to become the pandemic’s worst-hit country in coming weeks, surpassing the U.S., where more than 7.7 million infections have been reported.
WATCH | India struggles to control COVID-19 as case total becomes 2nd highest in the world:
India has the world’s second-highest number of COVID-19 cases, growing by a seven-day average of 69,368. Yet despite a stigma against contracting coronavirus, few people seem to be taking precautions seriously. 2:01
Italy was the site of two anti-mask protests on Saturday, even as the country undergoes a resurgence of coronavirus infections. The country’s Health Ministry reported another 5,724 cases and 29 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Protesters at one of the demonstrations complained about measures they call harsh, including a new order for all Italians to wear masks outdoors or face fines of up to 1,000 euros ($1,500 Cdn). Most of the new cases are in Lombardy in the north, which tallied 1,140 new infections, followed by Campania, which includes Naples, and Veneto.
Italy has reached nearly 350,000 confirmed cases and 36,140 deaths.
In England, revellers enjoyed a Saturday night out in London’s busy Soho district, ahead of new coronavirus restrictions to be announced Monday by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson is expected to back new restrictions that could see pubs and restaurants in coronavirus hot spots in northern England temporarily closed.
The U.K. has experienced Europe’s deadliest outbreak with more than 42,750 deaths.
In the United States, a new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says coronavirus cases in Arizona dropped 75 per cent following the implementation of local mask mandates. The mandates were enacted in June after a sharp uptick in cases.
