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Canada's COVID-19 cases: Quebec reports 1,079 infections on Sunday; Ontario sees its most hospitalizations since July

On Sunday, Oct. 4, jurisdictions around Canada reported 1,688 new cases of COVID-19, 20 fatalities and 1,377 recently recovered patients.

As customary on the weekends, Alberta and British Columbia did not provide an update on their respective situations. Four cases were also removed from Manitoba’s total, while Quebec withdrew one fatality. At the end of the day, Canada’s active case count still went up by 288, leaving 16,430 currently infected individuals nationwide.

In Quebec, health officials announced 1,079 new patients. It’s the third straight day that Canada’s worst-hit province has reported at least 1,000 cases, a mark that no other jurisdiction has even hit once throughout the pandemic.

The 3,238 cases Quebec has recorded in a three-day stretch are more than what all the Atlantic provinces (Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) have combined to report throughout the entire pandemic. It’s also more than the respective case totals by Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

In both Quebec and Ontario, the number of critical COVID-19 patients continues to rise, with each province having its most cases in hospital since July. Over the past few weeks, premiers François Legault and Doug Ford have both pleaded with their respective provinces to be mindful of their actions amid the second wave, in an effort to not overburden the hospital sector.

In Manitoba, the active count case reached a new record-high of 696, as a concerning trend continues to develop in the province’s capital.

For more on Sunday’s top stories, and on how the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country, please refer to our live updates below, as well as our COVID-19 news hub.

16,430 active COVID-19 cases in Canada: 166,155 diagnoses, 9,481 deaths and 140,244 recoveries (as of Oct. 4, 4:30 p.m. ET)

  • Alberta - 1,558 active cases (18,357 total cases, including 272 deaths, 16,527 resolved)

  • British Columbia - 1,302 active cases (9,381 total cases, 238 deaths, 7,813 resolved)

  • Manitoba - 696 active cases (2,140 total cases, 23 deaths, 1,421 resolved)

  • New Brunswick - 3 active cases (201 cases, 2 deaths, 196 resolved)

  • Newfoundland and Labrador - 3 active case (276 total cases, 4 deaths, 269 resolved)

  • Northwest Territories - 0 active cases (5 total cases, 5 resolved)

  • Nova Scotia - 3 active cases (1,089 total cases, 65 deaths 1,021 resolved)

  • Ontario - 5,405 active cases (54,199 total cases, 2,975 deaths, 45,819 resolved)

  • Prince Edward Island - 3 active case (61 total cases, 59 resolved)

  • Quebec - 7,277 active cases (78,459 total cases, 5,878 deaths, 65,304 resolved)

  • Saskatchewan - 153 active cases (1,959 total cases, 24 deaths, 1,782 resolved)

  • Yukon - 0 active cases (15 total cases, 15 resolved)

  • Nunavut - 0 active cases (8 presumptive positive cases)

  • CFB Trenton - 0 active cases (13 total cases, 13 resolved)

Quebec sees another 1000-plus increase to its case total

Quebec reported 1,079 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday which marks the third straight day that it has surpassed the 1,000-case mark.

A day earlier, Canada’s worst hit province reported 1,107 new cases— the second most ever in a 24-hour stretch — and on Friday there were 1,052 new cases. No other province has ever recorded a 1000-plus increase even once throughout the pandemic.

This latest update marks the 10th straight day that Quebec has recorded at least 600 cases. Before the recent stretch, it had not hit that mark since May 26. Since then, it has also experienced multiple stretches where the province consistently reported fewer than 100 daily cases as it contained the spread of COVID-19.

In the latest 24-hour reporting period, two more people have died, however the province added 10 other fatalities from previous dates, and also subtracted one from its death toll (5,878) because an investigation has shown that the death can’t be attributed to COVID-19. In addition, 826 more people have recovered, which brings the province’s active case count to 7,277, the highest in Canada.

Of the province’s currently infected individuals, there are 334 in hospital and 64 in intensive care, up by eight and four since Saturday, respectively. The amount of patients in hospital is the most for Quebec since July 7, and the most in ICU since June 18.

In comparison, on Sept. 4, there were 102 people in hospital and 18 in intensive care throughout Quebec.

“The numbers can’t be argued ... The situation is critical,” said Premier François Legault earlier in the week, as he announced new restrictions. “We’re doing this because we need to protect others. We need to protect kids who continue to go to school, those working in hospitals, the elderly.”

Of the latest 1,079 cases, 344 were identified in Montreal, 193 in Quebec City, 158 in Montérégie, 97 in Laval, 74 in Laurentides, 51 in Chaudière-Appalaches, 46 in Lanaudière, 39 in Outaouais and 33 in Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec. Of Quebec’s 18 regions, four of them reported zero new cases.

Montreal remains the nation’s epicentre with 35,167 total cases throughout the pandemic, more than every other province except for Ontario.

On Thursday, enhanced restrictions under the province’s red alert (the highest) came into effect for the greater Montreal region, Chaudiere-Appalaches and the majority of the Quebec City region. The restrictions on businesses and gatherings, which are being blamed for the rise in cases, are expected to last at least 28 days.

After Quebec reported 1,052 new cases on Friday, Quebec Premier Francois Legault said that the “situation is really critical,” and that the province “might need to close other activities in the coming days.”

Quebec’s testing numbers are reflective of its output from two days prior. Most recently, it completed 29,077 tests for COVID-19, as it continues to push its capacity.

Ontario’s continues to see spikes in its hotspot regions, most hospitalizations since July

Ontario reported 566 new cases of COVID-19 as its worrisome stretch continues.

It’s now the seventh-straight day that Ontario has surpassed the 500-daily case mark, which it had not previously hit since May 2.

The latest cases were identified after the province completed 39,661 tests, shrinking its backlog to 78,953. The 1.4 per cent positivity rate is one the province’s top five highest since June.

Of the recent cases, 196 were identified in Toronto, 123 in Peel and 81 in Ottawa, which are considered Ontario’s three hotspots as they face enhanced restrictions compared to the rest of the province. There were also 42 cases in York, 25 in Halton, 17 in Niagara, 14 in Waterloo and 13 in Durham. The remaining 26 public health units reported 10 or fewer, while eight of them identified no new patients at all.

Four more people have died in the past 24 hours in Ontario, but the Ministry of Health also announced three additional fatalities that occurred during the spring or summer, and are now being recorded as part of a data review.

Since 534 more people have recovered, there are now 5,405 active cases across Ontario, the most since April 28, when the province was at the peak of its first wave.

Toronto currently leads the way with 2,187 currently infected patients, followed by Peel (1,002), Ottawa (863) and York (448). The remaining 30 public health units have fewer than 125 active cases.

Of the province’s 5,203 currently infected patients, there are 169 people in hospital, up by 14 since Saturday. It’s the most people the province has had in hospital since July 1, even though the Ministry of Health noted that about 35 hospitals did not report data over the weekend. In comparison, on Sept. 4, there were 66 people in hospital throughout Ontario.

No data was provided on Sunday on the amount of people in ICU or on those who require a ventilator. As of the last update on Saturday, there were 41 in intensive care and 23 who require a ventilator, the most since July 1 and July 21, respectively.

“Earlier this week, we received a real wake-up call. We saw from the modelling update that if we don’t act now we could see 1,000 new cases a day by mid-October. We could have 200-300 people a day arriving in our hospitals and ICUs,” said Ford on Friday as his imposed new province-wide restrictions.

Of the recent 566 cases, 247 of them are among people between 20-39 years old, the most of any age group. There are also 141 new cases among those 40-59 and 103 among those 19 and under. Two cases involve long-term care residents, while of the seven fatalities added to the death toll on Sunday, one involves an LTC patient.

Manitoba once again sees another record-high for active cases

Manitoba health officials have announced 36 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, throughout the Winnipeg (23), Southern (seven( Interlake-Eastern (five) and Prairie Mountain (one) health regions. Four cases were also recently removed from the tally.

For the third day in a row, a Manitoban has died due to COVID-19 complications, increasing the province’s death toll to 23. The most recent victim was a male in his 50s in the Winnipeg region.

The updates set the province’s active case count at 696, which marks the seventh time in the past nine days that it has recorded a new record-high for currently infected patients.

The province has seen its active case count rise exponentially over the past few weeks. Two weeks ago on Sept. 20, there were 354 active cases; seven days ago (Sept. 27), there were 589. The majority of the 696 active cases are located in Winnipeg, which is home to 607 of those patients.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, did not hold a press conference on Saturday to discuss the latest spike, but over the past few weeks he’s revealed concerning trends, primarily in Winnipeg.

“We're definitely seeing that 20 to 29 age group, which is propagating the transmission of the virus right now in Winnipeg,” said Roussin on Thursday. “A lot of that is associated with the restaurant and the bar sector, which we're actively working with right now.”

Last week, Roussin said that half of its recent cases in Winnipeg are linked to bars, pubs and restaurants. In some cases, people were visiting more than one venue in a night while symptomatic. The province is currently looking at additional enforcement measures, and an update on potential changes for the bar and restaurant sector is expected in the near future.

Due to the rise in cases, starting on Sept. 28, people in the Winnipeg metropolitan region are required to wear masks in indoor public spaces, while indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people. Starting Oct. 7, masks will be required all throughout Manitoba at health-care centres.

Health officials are seeing a concerning trend relating to patients in Winnipeg and the city's bar, restaurant and pub sector. (Credit: Getty Creative)
Health officials in Winnipeg are seeing a concerning trend relating to patients in Winnipeg and the city's bar, restaurant and pub sector. (Credit: Getty Creative)

In a press release Sunday, health officials said that multiple individuals who attended events at the recreation centre in Little Grand Rapids First Nation from Sept. 24 to 27, have tested positive.

“People from other First Nations communities were also present,” wrote the press release, which was made in partnership with the chief and council from Little Grand Rapids First Nation. “If you attended events at the recreation centre in Little Grand Rapids on those dates, contact the nursing station or health centre in your community.”

The Little Grand Rapids First Nation community has since been moved to critical (red) on Manitoba’s pandemic response system. The chief and council have directed that public gatherings are not permitted, while community residents are required to stay home, except under a few exceptions.

In the press release, Manitoba public health also notified the public about five potential exposure events in Winnipeg, as well as an airline exposure involving a flight from Vancouver to the province’s capital on Sept. 27.

Along with the 36 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, 11 more people have recovered. Of the 696 active cases, there are 20 people in hospital, including five in ICU.

Updates from the rest of Canada

Nova Scotia and New Brunswick did not report any new cases of COVID-19, while they each have three currently infected individuals. In Nova Scotia that includes one person in intensive care, according to CBC. In New Brunswick, three people have recovered in the latest 24-hour stretch.

Newfoundland and Labrador did not provide an update on Sunday. Most recently, the province reported having three active cases of COVID-19.

Prince Edward Island announced two new cases of COVID-19, both involving men. One is in his 20s and the other in his 50s, who work in unrelated non-health care industries and recently travelled outside of Atlantic Canada. Since their arrival, they have been in self-isolation. Since one more patient has recovered as of P.E.I.’s previous update, there are now three active cases in the jurisdiction.

Saskatchewan health officials reported five new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, throughout the South East (two), Saskatoon (one), Central (one) and Regina (one) zones. In the same stretch, no one has recovered, which leaves the province’s active case at 153. Of those currently infected individuals, one person is in intensive care in Regina. The Saskatoon zone has the most active cases with 61, followed by the Central East zone, which has been dealing with multiple outbreaks in Yorkton.

Timelines of cases prior to today: