Canada's chief public health officer has issued a sobering warning Friday: If contacts increase above current levels, we'll be hurdling toward a worst-case scenario.
For weeks, Dr. Theresa Tam After has been asking the public to limit socialization to bring the COVID-19 crisis under control, saying "Absolutely do not go above what we have now... Otherwise, we're really in trouble.''
Speaking on Friday, Tam emphasized the :urgency'' to decrease infections as officials released dire new forecasts indicating that COVID-19 case counts have far surpassed levels seen during the first wave.
If Canadians increase their contact rates going into the holiday season, COVID-19 cases could skyrocket to 60,000 per day by the end of the year, according to the modelling.
That would be a twelvefold increase from the current level of around 5,000 cases per day, which is already straining the health-care system in some regions.
Tam warned "the time is now'' for Canadians to do everything to do reduce their contacts, saying it will take a combined effort on the part of individuals and public health authorities to bring infection rates down to manageable levels.
Also speaking on Friday, the Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Wajid Ahmed pleaded with the public to stop social gatherings, stating, most of the new cases in the region are coming form close contact.
— With files from The Canadain Press