Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Saturday

The latest:

As COVID-19 infections soar across the country, restrictions are being reintroduced in a desperate effort to try to slow the rampant spread of the Omicron variant.

Ontario on Saturday reported 3,301 new cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths. The update comes after the province again ramped up restrictions in a bid to deal with the latest variant of concern.

"The experts have been very clear: nothing will stop the spread of Omicron. It's just too transmissible," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday at a media briefing. "What we can do, and what we're doing, is slowing it as much as possible to allow more time for shots to get into arms."

In Nova Scotia, which has been seeing COVID-19 cases trend upward, health officials on Saturday reported a single-day high of 426 new cases. The province provides partial information on weekends, with a full update of the province's COVID-19 dashboard expected on Monday.

Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, said Friday that he expects the next few weeks to be "bumpy" as officials work to "find the balance moving forward about keeping things under control enough to protect those who are more vulnerable for severe disease and protect our health-care system."

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday that Omicron numbers have rapidly risen since last week, and she urged Canadians to adjust their holiday plans.

Tam also stressed that being fully vaccinated and getting a booster shot is likely to provide reasonable protection against infection and probably strong protection against severe illness.

In the face of the growing COVID threat, provincial governments are being forced to respond with measures reminiscent of those from last year's troubled holiday season.

Tam said Friday that over the past seven days, an average of 5,000 new cases were reported daily across the country — 45 per cent higher than the previous seven-day period.

The chief public health officer said severe illness trends have started to worsen in the hardest-hit provinces, though she noted that "may be more associated with rising levels of Delta variant activity over the preceding weeks."

According to Tam's update, over the past week there were: 

The chief public health officer spoke alongside federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, who advised against travelling outside the country and outlined new testing requirements.

On Tuesday, Canada will reimpose a requirement for everyone entering the country to have a pre-arrival negative molecular test result for COVID-19, even if travellers are returning after being away for under 72 hours.