Case counts on troubling course, Tam says

COVID-19 rates keeping Canada on track to hit 10,000 a day before 2021

Canada’s top doctor says the country is still on a troubling track for new COVID-19 infections as case counts continue mounting in much of the country.

Chief medical health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the most recent infection rates are keeping the country on track to hit as many as 10,000 new cases a day by mid-December.

Tam says Canada is currently recording caseloads at about half that level, with the most recent seven-day average standing at 5,335 between Nov. 20 and Nov. 26. Tam says Canada is also averaging 76 deaths a day and more than 2,100 people in hospital.

Her assessment comes as case counts continued to soar in numerous provinces.

Ontario is reporting 1,822 new cases of COVID-19 today, a slight decrease from yesterday’s record high of 1,855. The province also recorded 29 more deaths related to the virus since its last daily update.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says 566 of the new cases are in Toronto, and 516 are in Peel. Both regions were placed in the grey or “lockdown” stage of the province’s pandemic plan on Monday, but officials have said it could take at least two weeks to see any improvements related to the tougher restrictions.

Another 145 of the new infections are in York Region, with 105 and 102 in Waterloo and Hamilton, respectively.

Today’s numbers show that 595 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in the province, an increase of 54 since yesterday. The province says 155 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care units at this time, and 99 are on ventilators.

It says nearly 55,100 tests were completed since the last report, and 1,510 more cases are considered resolved.

Quebec set a new single-day record with 1,480 new infections today as the provincial death toll crossed the 7,000 threshold.

Case numbers also jumped sharply in Manitoba, where officials recorded 487 new infections and 10 new deaths. Among those who died was a boy under the age of 10, officials said, though they offered no other details.

Figures from New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador show more modest increases of four and two cases, respectively.

“If we continue on the current pace, our longer range models continue to forecast significant increases in daily case counts and estimate that there could be up to 10,000 cases reported daily by mid-December,” Tam said. “Right now, we have a window of opportunity to act collectively together with public health authorities to bring the infection rate down to a safer trajectory.”

Tam redoubled her calls for Canadians to heed public health advice, limit their social interactions and practice physical distancing.