A woman wearing a face mask shows a free COVID-19 antigen rapid test kit she just received in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on Dec. 18, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

 

People line up to pick up free COVID-19 antigen rapid test kits in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on Dec. 18, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

 

People wearing face masks line up to pick up free COVID-19 antigen rapid test kits in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on Dec.Photo:Xinhua

 

Vehicles line up outside a COVID-19 test site in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Dec. 18, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

 
COVID-19 cases are continuing to soar across Canada fueled by the Omicron variant, with confirmation of 7,566 new cases as of Saturday afternoon.

The new cases brought the cumulative caseload to 1,874,473, including 30,040 deaths, according to CTV news.

The country's populous provinces, Ontario and Quebec, each reported more than 3,000 new cases.

One day after setting a pandemic record for daily cases, Quebec reported 3,631 new infections and two deaths and a surge in hospitalizations in its latest numbers while Ontario confirmed 3,301 new cases and four additional deaths.

The surge is being seen in other provinces as well.

For the third day in a row, Nova Scotia province reported a new record high single-day COVID-19 case increase, with 426 new infections announced Saturday. The previous record for a single-day case increase was on Friday when 394 new cases were reported.

Increased Omicron cases likely represent just the tip of the iceberg as a growing number of cases across the country are not linked to travel.

Omicron cases have been reported in both vaccinated and unvaccinated people in the country, as well as in previously infected people.

On Friday, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said Omicron numbers have rapidly risen since last week, urging Canadians to adjust their holiday plans.

As infections surge across the country ahead of the Christmas holiday, a series of restrictions are being reintroduced by provincial governments while the Canadian government will tighten border rules as of Tuesday, requiring a pre-arrival negative molecular test result for COVID-19, even for short trips of less than 72 hours.