Canada’s coronavirus curve is seeing an “uptick” as jurisdictions across the country report new outbreaks, the country’s top doctor said Tuesday.
While the COVID-19 situation varies across provinces and territories, the composite of their individual curves is leading the national curve in “an upward direction,” Dr. Theresa Tam said during a news briefing on Canada’s response to the pandemic.
“This is a worrisome sign,” Tam said. “But the fate of the flattening of the curve is still within each of our hands.”
The number of COVID-19 cases reported daily in Canada has increased to an average of 496 cases, Tam said. That’s up from the rolling average of 487 new cases daily that the country’s chief public health officer reported last week.
“As I have said, the upward trend, this indicator of COVID-19 activity, is something that we must keep a very close eye on,” she said on Tuesday.
“Local public health authorities are doing their best to rapidly find cases and trace contacts to prevent further spread and investigate where transmission is occurring.”
Ahead of the August long weekend, Tam urged Canadians to limit social contact, maintain physical distancing measures and hand hygiene practices and conduct research on the level of risk involved in an activity outside the house.
As the debate continues over whether bars and restaurants should reopen in the current climate, a reporter asked Tam if she would feel comfortable having a drink on a patio or eating a meal inside a restaurant.
“I would look carefully and see what on earth is going inside that environment… if it doesn’t look good, then I’m not going to go in,” she said.
Tam, however, added that she herself hasn’t “ventured out at all” — even though Ontario, like many other provinces, has reopened many parts of its economy and public spaces.
“I go to the grocery store with my mask on and very infrequently,” she said.