(The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

By rdnewsNOW staff

numbers will continue to rise

Canada’s top doctor urging ‘collective effort’ to squash COVID-19

Nov 8, 2020 | 11:55 AM

Canada’s chief medical officer of health says the country needs a collective effort to support and sustain the national public health response to COVID-19.

On Sunday, Dr. Theresa Tam shared that there are 36,471 active cases of the coronavirus nationwide.

That latest national averages include more than 3,350 new cases daily from Oct. 30-Nov. 5, and a 4.7 per cent positive testing rate from Oct. 25-31.

“I am advising Canadians to avoid the 3Cs settings wherever possible; larger clusters tell us that closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places where many people gather, and close contact situations can amplify spread of the virus,” Tam says.

“Spread in informal social gatherings and activities is also occurring. In these more relaxed settings, such as family and holiday celebrations and recreational activities, letting our guard down and not consistently maintaining public health practises, such as physical distancing and mask wearing, can lead to many exposures and infections.”

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Tam says for these reasons, she is recommending everyone wear a non-medical mask or face covering when spending time indoors with people from outside of one’s immediate household.

Provincial and territorial data show an average of 1,200 people with COVID-19 being treated in hospitals each day from Oct. 30-Nov. 5. Of those, 225 are in intensive care units.

An average of 44 deaths were recorded daily during that span.

“As hospitalizations and deaths tend to lag behind increased disease activity by one to several weeks, the concern is that we have yet to see the extent of severe impacts associated with the ongoing increase in COVID-19 disease activity,” says Tam.

“As well, influenza and respiratory infections typically increase during the fall and winter, placing increased demands on hospitals. This is why it is so important for people of all ages to maintain public health practices that keep respiratory infection rates low.”

Staying home and self-isolating, maintaining distancing, wearing a mask, and frequent hand and surface cleaning continue to be the most recommended measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“What comes next for us this fall and winter is for everyone of us to determine, through our decisions and actions,” Tam shares. “Let’s bring COVID-19 down, together! Read my backgrounder to access more COVID-19 Information and Resources on ways to reduce the risks and protect yourself and others.”

On Saturday, Alberta reported a record daily high 919 new cases of COVID-19.

There have been more than 260,000 recorded cases in Canada, including 10,490 deaths.