OTTAWA, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Some provinces in Canada reported their record single-day increases in COVID-19 cases on Saturday, reported CTV.
As of Saturday afternoon, Canada reported a total of 324,375 COVID-19 cases and 11,397 deaths, CTV's coronavirus tracker said.
Ontario reported a record daily increase of 1,588 cases on Saturday, surpassing the province's previous single-day high of 1,581 cases on Nov. 14.
This is the 16th straight day in which Ontario has reported case counts in the quadruple digits. The total number of lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the province now stands at 102,378, including the 3,472 deaths.
Toronto and the neighboring Peel Region are going back into shutdown from Monday, which will last at least 28 days. Several other regions in the province are moving to higher restriction levels.
Quebec reported 1,189 new cases on Saturday, raising its total number of confirmed cases to 130,888.
New Brunswick announced 23 new cases, setting a new single-day high and bringing the total cases to 424.
Saskatchewan set a new single-day record of 439 new cases, pushing the province's count to 6,237.
Canadian Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam on Saturday called for a countrywide "stronger response" to curb the spread of this pandemic.
"Given the recent developments, there is an urgent need for everyone to take individual actions to not only protect ourselves but also our populations and communities at high risk," Tam said in a statement.
"To do this, we need to limit close contacts to those in your immediate household and reduce in-person interactions to only essential errands and activities, while consistently maintaining key public health practices," Tam said. Enditem
