Ottawa (Canada), May 3: Canada reported 7,145 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday, bringing the cumulative total to 1,234,181 cases, including 24,300 deaths, according to CTV.
Coronavirus variants now make up the majority of Canada's new COVID-19 cases, Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said on Sunday.
As of Sunday afternoon, a cumulative total of 121,068 variants were reported, including 115,887 B.1.1.7 variants, 4,468 P.1 variants and 713 B.1.351 variants.
Variants of concern represent a majority of cases in Canada, with the B.1.1.7 variant now reported in all provinces and territories in the country and accounting for over 95 percent of variants of concern sequenced to date, Tam said on Twitter.
Tam reiterated that variants are more contagious and are associated with more severe outcomes, and some like the P.1 variant and the B.1.351 variant are more resistant to vaccines.
The B.1.1.7 has become the dominant strain in some provinces, with Manitoba saying last week it will stop notifying residents if they've contracted the variant as it now makes up the vast majority of cases.
Ontario, Canada's most populous province, confirmed 3,732 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, 363 more cases than what was reported on Saturday.
Out of the 3,732 new cases, Ontario confirmed an additional 2,871 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, bringing the total number to 72,313.
Alberta province reported 1,731 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday as the number of ICU admissions set a new record in the province.
Of the 1,731 cases, 1,132 were the B.1.1.7 variants, 130 were the P.1 variants, and 12 were the B.1.351 variants.
The Alberta government has suspended the spring sitting of the legislature for two weeks due to surging numbers of COVID-19 cases in the province.
Source: Xinhua
