Canada reported an additional 6,346 new infections of the novel coronavirus Saturday as several provinces broke new case and fatality records amid the second wave of the pandemic.
The new data, which includes another 93 fatalities from the virus, pushes the country’s total cases to 408,569 and its death toll to 12,589. A total of 324,800 patients have since recovered while over 15,283,000 tests have been administered.
Saturday’s numbers provide a limited snapshot of the virus in Canada. Provinces like P.E.I. and British Columbia as well as both the Yukon and Northwest Territories do not report new case data over the weekend.
As the number of COVID-19 cases surges, hospitalizations and deaths also continue to grip communities across the country.
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The nation’s top doctor said that Canada still has a “long road ahead” in its fight against the virus, despite plans to roll-out a vaccine in the new year.
“All along the way Canadians have made sacrifices and despite a still long road ahead, there is some good news on the horizon,” Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, wrote in a statement Saturday.
2:25 Quebec reports more than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time since pandemic began
Quebec reports more than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time since pandemic began
“An initial supply of vaccines is expected to become available in early 2021 and although supply will be limited at the outset, Canada is well-positioned to provide access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for all Canadians.”
Tam, who noted the logistical and operational challenges of distributing the vaccine, also reiterated that “any and all” vaccines approved by Health Canada would meet the highest standards of safety and effectiveness.
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According to the latest epidemiological data, a daily average of 6,168 new cases were diagnosed every day from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3, with 7.4 per cent of 74,596 daily tests turning out to be positive. A daily average of 87 virus-related deaths were also being reported during the same period.
“The latest longer-range forecasting, using a model from Simon Fraser University, forecasts that if we continue on the current trajectory, we could have 10,000 cases daily by January,” warned Tam, who also noted the burdening impact of the virus’ spread on both the country’s high-risk population as well as its health-care workforce.
Quebec added more than 2,000 new cases of the virus for the first time Saturday, with health officials reporting 2,031 confirmed infections in their latest update. The province also announced 48 more deaths attributed to the virus — of which only 11 occurred in the past 24 hours.
Health officials in the province said that the high case count was inflated, however, because a number of cases identified the day before that were not reported in Friday’s case count. To date, the province’s total cases stand at 149,908 and its death toll at 7,231.
Both Ontario and Alberta posted record-high case counts Saturday as well.
3:40 COVID-19: Who will get the vaccine first?
COVID-19: Who will get the vaccine first?
In Alberta, provincial authorities added 1,879 new cases. The data, which included another six deaths, pushed the province’s total caseload to 66,730.
Ontario, on the other hand, reported 1,859 more cases — raising its total infections to 125,385. The new cases mark the single highest increase in new COVID-19 infections since the 1,855 reported on Nov. 27. Another 20 deaths were also added by the province, pushing Ontario’s death toll to 3,757.
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8:48 Universal Basic Income: Can the pandemic make it a reality?
Universal Basic Income: Can the pandemic make it a reality?
Manitoba also set a new record Saturday, as authorities confirmed 19 additional deaths due to the virus. The province’s death toll now stands at 381 and its caseload at 18,423 after Saturday’s announcement. Saskatchewan added 203 new cases and no new deaths on Saturday.
In Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick added two more cases, Nova Scotia six and Newfoundland and Labrador another four. Nunavut, which lifted it’s COVID-19 lockdown everywhere except for its hotspot Arviat this week, posted eight more cases on Saturday.
Globally, cases of the novel coronavirus continue to spread, with over 66,442,000 infections being reported so far according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. A total of 1,526,000 deaths have also been attributed to the virus, with the United States, Brazil and India continuing to lead in both infections and deaths.
TORONTO – Restaurant Brands International Inc. reported net income of US$357 million for its third quarter, down from US$364 million in the same quarter last year.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its profit amounted to 79 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 79 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, totalled US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.84 billion in the same quarter last year.
Consolidated comparable sales were up 0.3 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Restaurant Brands says it earned 93 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 90 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fortis Inc. reported a third-quarter profit of $420 million, up from $394 million in the same quarter last year.
The electric and gas utility says the profit amounted to 85 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 81 cents per share a year earlier.
Fortis says the increase was driven by rate base growth across its utilities, and strong earnings in Arizona largely reflecting new customer rates at Tucson Electric Power.
Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.77 billion, up from $2.72 billion in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Fortis says it earned 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 84 cents per share in the third quarter of 2023.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 82 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
TORONTO – Thomson Reuters reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as its revenue rose eight per cent.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says it earned US$301 million or 67 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The result compared with a profit of US$367 million or 80 cents US per diluted share in the same quarter a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled US$1.72 billion, up from US$1.59 billion a year earlier.
In its outlook, Thomson Reuters says it now expects organic revenue growth of 7.0 per cent for its full year, up from earlier expectations for growth of 6.5 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Thomson Reuters says it earned 80 cents US per share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 82 cents US per share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 76 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
