Canada registers 6,671 COVID-19 cases, 66 deaths

Canada's total number of confirmed novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases has risen to 6,671, while the death toll stands at 66, the country's Chief Public Health Officer Dr Theresa Tam told reporters on Monday.

"In Canada, there are 6,671 cases, including 66 deaths," Tam said.

There are a number of the cases that are pending confirmation, she stated, adding many with symptoms are choosing to self-isolate at home.

The steady rise in cases has been spurred by the more than ten-fold spike in cases in Quebec. Canadian officials have attributed the spike to increased testing capacity in Canada's predominantly Francophone province.

The death toll has tripled in the past week, including nine reported fatalities at the Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Ontario. Officials have stressed that long-term care facilities are particularly vulnerable amid the COVID-19 pandemic, following an outbreak at the Lynn Valley Care Center in British Columbia, which claimed at least four lives.

According to Tam, approximately 220,000 Canadians have been tested for the deadly disease.

The COVID-19 has infected more than 740,000 people worldwide and killed more than 35,000, according to Johns Hopkins University's real-time tracker.