(Photo: Zou Zheng)
OTTAWA, Dec.27 (Xinhua) – The number of cases of the novel coronavirus in Canada surpassed the 550,000 mark on Sunday afternoon to 552,020, with 14,963 deaths, according to Canadian television channel CTV.
Ontario, the country’s most populous province, has reported 2,005 additional cases, for a total of 171,416.
It was the 13th day in a row that the province had recorded more than 2,000 new infections.
In its first update since Christmas Eve, Quebec reported 6,783 new cases.
Canada has confirmed two cases of the new strain first detected in the UK.
The two confirmed cases are a couple from Durham Region, Ontario. Neither partner has a known history of travel, exposure to the virus, or high-risk contact.
Ontario entered provincial containment on Saturday in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.
Canada has banned all flights from the UK from December 20 to January 6, 2021, in response to concerns about the new strain of COVID-19.
As the two identified cases had not traveled outside the country, it remains important to follow public health measures and limit contact with others, in order to reduce the transmission of the virus and its variants, a the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement.
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