Canada’s chief public health officer says a consistent increment in the average number of new coronavirus cases being accounted for every day in the country is a reason for concern.
Dr. Theresa Tam said an average of 545 new cases have been accounted for during the previous week, up from 435 on Aug. 31 and 390 on Aug. 24. The average daily case tally has expanded by 40 per cent over a similar period.
“This summer, Canadians by-and-large followed public health guidance and as a result, nationally, Canada has been able to keep COVID-19 under manageable control, allowing us to carefully resume activities that are important to our social and economic wellbeing,” Tam said in a statement on Monday.
“As we enter the fall, Canadians should be much more cautious about following public health guidance, particularly as the cold weather shifts activities indoors.”
Overall, in the most recent week, 3,955 people tested positive across Canada, and 28 people died of COVID-19.
That compares to 3,044 positive tests and 44 deaths in the week prior.
In total, there have been 131,895 cases of COVID-19 reported in Canada, including 9,145 deaths. Tam said 88.2 per cent of people have now recovered.
Tam said anyone thinking of attending an event or gathering — particularly indoor ones — should assess their own personal risk, the risk of those in their household or personal bubble and the location of the event before agreeing to attend.
People should ask if the host has made changes to the event location to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 and if it’s possible to step away if the event becomes too crowded, Tam said.
Tam said that anyone who has symptoms, even mild ones, should stay home and get tested.
“Taking these precautions will provide layers of protection to keep you and those you care about safe while helping to keep COVID-19 on the slow burn in Canada,” she said.
“Importantly, all of these efforts will help to support the front-line workers we need and value so much, and recognize on this Labour Day.”
Photo credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
News source: CBC News
