Canada's COVID-19 cases surpass 2.9 mln

OTTAWA, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Canada confirmed 13,555 new COVID-19 cases Saturday afternoon, elevating its national caseload to 2,905,560 with 32,502 deaths, CTV reported.

Ontario, the most populous province, reported 6,473 new cases with 47 additional deaths while Quebec, another populous province, announced 5,547 new cases with 68 new deaths.

Both provinces reported a drop in COVID-19-related hospitalizations but a jump in the number of patients being treated in intensive care units (ICU) on Saturday.

Ontario reported nearly 600 ICU patients while Quebec confirmed 275 ICU patients.

A total of 10,745 patients with COVID-19 were being treated in hospitals across Canada on Saturday, still surpassing peak daily numbers in all previous waves of the pandemic.

The daily COVID-19 case number, positivity rate and wastewater surveillance issued by the Public Health Agency of Canada showed that the Omicron-driven wave has peaked in the country.

Despite signs of stability in the patient numbers in some provinces, the toll on hospitals remains heavy and many hospitals across Canada are under intense strain, said Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer.

With lab-based testing capacity deeply strained and increasingly restricted, medical experts said Canada's true COVID-19 case counts are likely far higher than reported.

Hospitalization data at the regional level is also evolving, with several provinces saying they will report figures that separate the number of people in hospital because of COVID-19 from those in hospital for another medical issue who also test positive for COVID-19.