Canada's COVID-19 cases surpass 260,000 level

People wearing face masks line up for COVID-19 test outside a COVID-19 assessment center in Toronto, Canada, on Nov. 8, 2020. Canada reported a total of 264,045 cases of COVID-19 and 10,522 deaths as of Sunday afternoon, according to CTV. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

OTTAWA, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Canada reported a total of 264,045 cases of COVID-19 and 10,522 deaths as of Sunday afternoon, according to CTV.

There have been more than 100,000 new cases of COVID-19 and over 1,000 more deaths in the country since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in late September that Canada was at a "crossroads" in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The percentage of COVID-19 tests across the country that have come back positive has grown by more than 235 percent, from 1.4 percent in mid-September to 4.7 percent in the past week.

On Sunday, Quebec announced 1,397 more cases of COVID-19, the largest reported daily increase in the province since the COVID-19 pandemic. The total number of cases in the province rose to 114,820 on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Ontario confirmed 1,328 new cases after a record-breaking day on Saturday with 1,132 new infections reported in the province.

Sunday's report brought Ontario's total number of lab-confirmed cases to 84,153, including deaths and recoveries. Its seven-day average for the number of cases continued going up and stood at 1,063.

The cumulative number is high and continues to increase, with several regions experiencing accelerated growth, said Theresa Tam, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, in a statement on Sunday.

Spread in informal social gatherings and activities is also occurring. In these more relaxed settings, such as family and holiday celebrations and recreational activities, letting guard down and not consistently maintaining public health practices, such as physical distancing and mask wearing, can lead to many exposures and infections, Tam said,

"I am recommending that everyone wear a non-medical mask or face covering when spending time indoors with people from outside of your immediate household," added Tam.