Canada records highest single-daily COVID-19 case count

OTTAWA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Canada recorded 9,163 new COVID-19 cases as of Friday evening, the highest single-day increase since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country in February 2020.

The new cases brought the cumulative caseload to 1,866,950, including 30,032 deaths, according to CTV news.

Since last week, daily case counts in the country have been on a continuous rise, accelerated by the spread of Omicron.

On Friday, the Canadian government announced once again the decision to require all incoming travelers, regardless of trip length or location, to provide proof of a pre-arrival negative molecular COVID-19 test in order to enter the country. The requirement will come into effect on Tuesday.

During the latest seven-day period of Dec. 10-16, an average of 5,001 new COVID-19 cases were reported across Canada, an increase of 45 percent compared to the previous week, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) on Friday.

Of these, as of Dec. 16, there were 344 confirmed Omicron cases, reported in 11 provinces and territories.

However, PHAC said these Omicron cases likely represent just the tip of the iceberg. A growing number of cases across the country are not linked to travel, indicating that community transmission of Omicron has been established in many parts of Canada and outbreaks are being reported in multiple settings.

Omicron cases have been reported in both vaccinated and unvaccinated people in Canada, as well as in previously infected people.

As of Dec. 16, Canada has administered over 64 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Latest data indicate that over 81 percent of the total population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and over 76 percent are now fully vaccinated.

Among children aged 5-11, 32 percent have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.