Canada's COVID-19 cases surpass 1.7 million

Ottawa [Canada], October 26 (ANI/Xinhua): Canada reported 1,381 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the cumulative total to 1,700,696 cases with 28,785 deaths, according to CTV.
Ontario, the most populous province with a population of 1.4 million in Canada, reported 326 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. No new deaths were reported.
Monday's report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 597,841, including deaths and recoveries.
Ontario's rolling seven-day average now stands at 372, down from 416 at this point last week.
With 18,397 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the positivity rate in the province stands at about 1.6 percent.
Of the new cases reported Monday, 231 cases involved people who are either unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown. The remaining 95 infections involved people who are fully vaccinated.
On Monday, Ontario lifted capacity limits at restaurants, gyms, casinos and some other locations where proof of vaccination against COVID-19 is required. The province has set out a COVID-19 roadmap for the winter, hopes to spring forward in 2022 without restrictions.
Quebec, a second populous province with a population of 8.6 million, reported 324 new cases and five new deaths on Monday.
The numbers announced on Monday are down from Friday's, but hospitalizations grew slightly, with a net increase of nine people in hospital for the virus and four more in intensive care. The current totals are 259 hospitalized and 69 in intensive care.
Based on numbers from the last 28 days, the province says unvaccinated people are now 20.4 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than vaccinated people.
Alberta province announced 368 new cases on Monday. Alberta has pushed back healthcare vaccination deadline an additional month.
Last week, the Canadian government lifted its advisory against all non-essential international travel by Canadians outside the country which were in place since the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
However, Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said last Friday that the COVID-19 pandemic is very much alive. "Now is not the time to just freely go wherever." (ANI/Xinhua)