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The Montreal region is Canada’s hot spot for confirmed COVID-19 cases, with almost 2,000, according to data published Tuesday by Montreal’s public health authority.

Canada had 8,505 confirmed cases as of Tuesday evening, which means the Montreal region, with 1,991, is home to about 23 per cent of Canadians with confirmed cases of the illness caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

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Toronto Public Health reported 793 confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. Tuesday, and Vancouver had 472 at latest count (Monday).

Mayor Valérie Plante acknowledged that she was concerned by the large number of Montrealers infected, but said she was too busy dealing with the crisis to give way to discouragement.

“Yes, it worries me. As a Montrealer, it’s not a number that pleases us. But am I discouraged, pessimistic? No,” Plante said, paying tribute to the enormous efforts being made by individual Montrealers and all levels of government to halt the virus’s spread.