Ottawa, Sep 22 (IANS): In recent days, Canada was witnessed an increased spike in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, taking the the overall caseload to 144,693, while the death toll stood at 9,223, according to health officials.

Provincial authorities have continued to report fresh Covid-19 outbreaks, including in schools, workplaces and universities, reports Xinhua news agency.

The country's two most populous provinces of Quebec and Ontario reported surging numbers of cases on Monday.

Quebec reported 586 cases, a jump of more than 100 compared with Sunday, while Ontario's rose to 425 from 365 a day before.

On Monday morning, Quebec declared that a second wave of the pandemic had begun in the province.

"I'm very, very very worried by the situation, to the point where I consider that now we may be in a second wave, we're in a second wave at its beginning," Horacio Arruda, Quebec's public health director, told the media.

Arruda said the situation is serious and that residents need to respect gathering limits and health guidelines in order to limit cases.

"This second wave, we can transform it into a smaller wave than we experienced before, but if we don't make the effort, it can be even bigger than the first," he added.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Monday that his government will announce its plan to deal with a second wave.

The jump in new cases is being driven by people under the age of 40, who are less likely to get seriously ill from Covid-19, but can still transmit the virus to others who are more vulnerable.