By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada is at a tipping point in the fight against a second wave of the novel coronavirus and health care workers are increasingly swamped, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in some of his most gloomy comments on Friday.

He spoke after health officials said authorities needed to do more now to fight the pandemic since forecasts suggest the number of new infections will continue to accelerate.

Trudeau said the second wave was “really frustrating”. He and other officials are urging people not to gather in large groups next Monday on Canadian Thanksgiving, a major holiday.

“We are at a tipping point in this pandemic. Not only is the second wave under way, (but) yesterday we hit the highest daily record for cases, well above what we saw this spring,” he told a news conference.

“I know this is discouraging … the increase in new