Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada on July 27, 2020

July 27, 2020  -  Ottawa, ON  -  Public Health Agency of Canada

OTTAWA –

In lieu of an in-person update to the media, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, issued the following statement today:

“There have been 113,911 cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including 8,890 deaths. 87% of people have now recovered. Labs across Canada have tested over 3,801,000 people for COVID-19 to date. Over the past week, an average of 44,000 people were tested daily, with 1% testing positive and an average of 510 cases being reported daily from across the country.

In yesterday’s statement, I reported that 63% percent of COVID-19 cases reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada this past week were young people under the age of 39 years, and one third (31%) of these were hospitalized for their illness. In fact, 61% of cases reported during the past week were aged 39 years or younger and among the total number of cases that were hospitalized, 21% were aged 39 years or younger.

My reflection over the weekend was on the challenges we are all facing in learning to live with COVID-19. Going forward with COVID-19 means that we must take a more deliberate approach to everyday living, making informed choices to keep ourselves, our families and our communities safer. Where we once may have celebrated summer with larger gatherings, we know that interacting with more people raises our risk of exposure and spreading the virus. So it is safer to participate in activities with members of our household or a small, consistent social bubble.

Everyday life is suddenly filled with decisions about going out safely, but we can take comfort in knowing that we can base our decisions on what we have learned about reducing exposure and transmission risks. Canadians can learn more about what precautions we can take to keep us all safer. Here are three key areas of COVID-19 “know-how,” with additional links to learn more:

1. Know how to seek testing and care and when to stay home:

• Stay home and keep away from others if you develop symptoms, even if mild.
  • Find more about the symptoms of COVID-19 here: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/symptoms.html#s 
    
•  If you are concerned about your symptoms or think you have been exposed, contact your local public health authority to be guided safely to testing and care.
  • For more information on testing: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/symptoms/testing.html

2.    Know how to go out safely (for those with no symptoms or recent exposure to COVID-19)

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or carry a Health Canada-approved hand sanitizer with you.
•  Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your sleeve.
•  Practice physical distancing by keeping 2 metres away from others.
•  Wear a non-medical mask or face covering when physical distancing is difficult to maintain and/or when mandated by local authorities.
  • Learn more about non-medical masks and face coverings here: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/prevention-risks/about-non-medical-masks-face-coverings.html

3.    Know how to avoid high-risk settings/situations:

•  Avoid or strictly limit time spent in the 3 Cs of high risk setting/situations, particularly if public health measures like physical distancing and frequent cleaning/disinfection are not being well maintained.
  • Closed spaces with poor ventilation;
  • Crowded places with large numbers of people gathered; and
  • Close contact where you can’t keep 2-metres physical distance from others.
•  For times when you can’t avoid high risk activities/settings/situations, you can reduce your risk by wearing a non-medical mask or face covering, keeping 2-metres distance from others as much as possible, and cleaning your hands often.

By increasing our COVID-19 know-how and avoiding high-risk setting/situations as much as possible, Canadians can keep transmission low and minimize the impact of COVID-19 in Canada – for us, for our families, for everyone.”