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'There's a lot more cases out there': Ontario, Quebec, Canada smash troubling record for COVID-19 cases as Omicron spreads

Elisabetta Bianchini
·4 min read
'There's a lot more cases out there': Ontario, Quebec, Canada smash troubling record for COVID-19 cases as Omicron spreads

Record daily COVID-19 cases are being seen in several parts of Canada, with the country recording a new high - 14,456 cases yesterday as the Omicron variant spreads.

In Ontario, the province reported 5,790 new cases on Thursday, an all time high throughout the pandemic, with tests positivity now over 16 per cent.

Quebec confirmed a record 9,397 more cases on Thursday, with 54,520 samples tested on Dec. 21.

In a statement on from the from the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health (CCMOH) on the Omicron variant, the group indicates this is a reminder the "the COVID-19 pandemic is not over."

"We realize that managing a new variant of concern is not where we were hoping to be at the end of 2021," the statement reads. "High vaccine coverage for both primary series and booster doses will help to protect the capacity of our health care system in the face of the possible impact of Omicron."

"As we head into the holidays, we need to leverage the tools that can help us get back to enjoying the things we love most and minimize disruptions to the services and activities that are important to individuals and families."

People have taken to social media, including infectious disease and health experts, to respond to the rapidly spread COVID-19 variant and the response from provincial governments.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, stressed that there is "a finite human health resource capacity" so Canadians need to focus on preventing COVID-19 impacts on the highest risk individuals, including people in long-term care home and health workers.