Elderly adults have highest incidence rate of COVID-19 in Canada: Tam

Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer is warning that COVID-19 cases are on the rise in one of the country’s most vulnerable populations.

In a statement released on November 17, Dr. Theresa Tam said that the number of virus cases in elderly adults has been increasing for several weeks. Those over the age of 80 now have the highest incidence rate nationally.

“We are seeing disease transmission spill over into the most vulnerable populations,” Tam said. “More and more outbreaks are occurring in long-term care homes, congregate living settings, and hospitals.”

On November 13, Tam warned that Canada could see 10,000 new COVID-19 cases per day by early December if we continue on our current trajectory.

In addition to rising cases, the country is also seeing a growing number of hospitalizations, critical care admissions, and deaths.

Tam said she was “deeply concerned” about the developments, which put people at-risk of life-threatening illness and can cause disruptions to healthcare services.

She reminded people across the country of the importance of individual actions, and urged them to limit their outings to just essential trips and only socialize with their immediate household.

“The measure of a society is in how it protects its most vulnerable,” Tam said. “Canadians are once again at a critical juncture.”

To date, Canada has seen 306,468 cases of COVID-19, and 11,086 deaths.