Canada’s chief public health officer said Monday (Sept. 7) that although the country has done an overall good job keeping COVID-19 under control, average daily cases have crept up in recent weeks.
“This is a concern and a reminder that we all need to maintain public health measures to keep COVID-19 on the slow-burn path that we need,” said Dr. Theresa Tam.
As of Monday, there have been 131,895 cases of COVID-19 in Canada, with 9,145 deaths and 88.2 per cent of patients having recovered. Tam said an average of 545 new cases have been reported each day during the past seven days. B.C. has been a contributor to that rising case count, hitting record highs in recent weeks. The province has had a total of 6,162 cases of COVID-19, with 121 new ones reported on Friday.
Tam urged Canadians to stay vigilant about following public health measures like physical distancing and mask wearing, especially as colder weather pushes people indoors and with fall holidays on the horizon.
The top doctor implored people at high risk from the virus, as well as those with family and friends at high risk, to reconsider going to gatherings. Tam asked people to consider whether or not the gathering was hosted in a way that made physical distancing or mask wearing possible, as well as allowed access to hand sanitizer or soap and water.
“If you have any symptoms, even mild ones, stay home, stay away from others, and get tested,” she added.
READ MORE: B.C. records 121 new COVID-19 cases, another death ahead of long weekend
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