Canada breaks single-day COVID-19 record with over 20,000 new cases

Dec 24 2021, 1:00 am

Canada recorded the highest number of new COVID-19 cases ever on Thursday with more than 20,000 newly discovered infections.

As numbers from each province and territory rolled in across the time zones, the final tally came in at 20,699 new cases. That blows away the previous single-day record of nearly 15,000 cases set Wednesday.

BC, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI all set single-day increase records Thursday as the more-transmissible Omicron variant takes hold across the country.

Many provinces and territories have re-introduced restrictions heading into the holiday season, limiting personal gatherings, slashing capacity limits at events, and closing gyms and nightclubs.

Several provinces are also struggling to administer rapid tests to residents ahead of the holiday season, and soaring numbers of infections are leading to long lineups at PCR testing stations.

Top doctors across the country are urging people to tighten their circles and limit their close contacts to prevent the onslaught of cases from overwhelming hospitals.

Megan DevlinMegan Devlin

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