Canada could see 10,000 new COVID-19 cases per day by early December

If Canada continues on its current trajectory, health officials are forecasting we could see 10,000 new COVID-19 cases per day by early December.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, issued the stark warning at a COVID-19 press briefing on Friday.

“If we continue on the current pace, it is estimated that there will be over 10,000 cases daily by early December,” she said. “An important driver of this increased disease activity continues to be informal social gatherings.”

Over the past week, the national average case count has risen to over 4,300 daily cases. Labs across Canada have tested an average of 55,000 people per day over the last seven days, with almost a 6% positivity rate, Tam said.

An average of 55 deaths were reported each day over the last week.

In more relaxed settings, like family get-togethers, birthday parties, holiday celebrations, and recreational activities, it is easy to let our guards down, Tam said, urging people to limit the size of social gatherings both inside and outside.

“Unfortunately the virus will take and every opportunity to spread,” said Dr. Tam.