coronavirus since the pandemic began nearly a year ago — and health officials are warning that number will likely skyrocket over the course of the winter. ‘Good riddance’ to 2020: Trudeau urges COVID-19 vigilance over the holidays Canada has averaged over 6,600 new cases per day for the past seven days, an infection rate nearly four times what was seen during the first peak of the pandemic in May.It took just over two weeks for the national case total to grow from 400,000 to 500,000, while only one month separates the current milestone from the 200,000 mark.The surging infections has led to a steady increase in both hospitalizations and deaths with just a week before Christmas.Federal pandemic modelling released late last week suggests.