Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada on January 9, 2021

January 9, 2021          Ottawa, ON                 Public Health Agency of Canada

As the resurgence of COVID-19 activity continues in Canada, we are tracking a range of epidemiological indicators to monitor where the disease is most active, where it is spreading and how it is impacting the health of Canadians and public health, laboratory and healthcare capacity. The following is the latest summary on national numbers and trends, and the actions we all need to be taking to maintain COVID-19 at manageable levels across the country.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 644,348 cases of COVID-19, including 16,707 deaths reported in Canada; these cumulative numbers tell us about the overall burden of COVID-19 illness to date. Though many areas continue to experience high infection rates, it is important to remember that the vast majority of Canadians remain susceptible to COVID-19. This is why it is important for everyone to continue with individual precautions to protect ourselves, our families and our communities.  

In addition to laboratories across Canada conducting testing to confirm COVID-19 infections, the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) conducts routine genomic sequencing on approximately five per cent of virus samples. Given the recent emergence of COVID-19 virus variants of concern, which appear to be associated with an increased risk of spread, PHAC has been working with provinces, territories and international partners to enhance monitoring for the presence of any virus variants in Canada. As of January 8, provinces and territories have reported 14 cases of a virus variant first reported in the United Kingdom and one individual with a variant first reported in South Africa. Given these virus variants have been reported in multiple countries, the Government of Canada continues to advise Canadians against non-essential travel outside of Canada.

With the current momentum of the epidemic and continued high rates of infection in many areas of the country, rapid accumulation of cases will continue until we can make significant progress in interrupting spread. At this time, there are 81,670 active cases across the country. The latest national-level data indicate daily averages of 7,672 new cases (Jan 1-7). COVID-19 is spreading among people of all ages, with high infection rates across all age groups. However, nationally, infection rates remain highest among those aged 80 years and older who are at highest risk for severe outcomes.

Likewise, outbreaks continue to occur in high-risk populations and communities, including hospitals and long term care homes, correctional facilities, congregate living settings, Indigenous communities, and more remote areas of the country. The downstream impacts of weeks and months of elevated disease activity continues to be seen in still rising numbers of severe illness and death, significant disruptions to health services and ongoing challenges for areas not adequately equipped to manage complex medical emergencies.

Nationally, hospitalisations and deaths, which tend to lag behind increased disease activity by one to several weeks are still increasing. Provincial and territorial data indicate that an average of 4,336 people with COVID-19 were being treated in Canadian hospitals each day during the most recent 7-day period (Jan 1-7), including 811 of whom were being treated in intensive care units. During the same period, there were an average of 136 COVID-19-related deaths reported daily. This situation continues to burden local healthcare resources, particularly in areas where infection rates are highest. These impacts affect everyone, as the healthcare workforce and health system bear a heavy strain, important elective medical procedures are delayed or postponed, adding to pre-existing backlogs.

As the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines continues across Canada, PHAC will be providing weekly COVID-19 vaccine safety updates on Fridays as part of our commitment to keep Canadians up-to-date with timely, factual information. The weekly COVID-19 vaccine safety report includes information on adverse events following immunization (AEFI), which involve any health problem that happens following immunization but is not necessarily caused by the vaccine. Adverse events can range from common mild events such as soreness at the site of injection or a slight fever, to more rare serious events, such as a severe allergic reaction. Of the 115,072 doses administered during the month of December, there have been 9 reports of adverse reactions. There have been no unexpected vaccine safety issues identified to date. Canada has a robust vaccine safety monitoring system in place and investigates all serious adverse events. 

While we continue to prepare the way for widespread and lasting control of COVID-19 through safe and effective vaccines, Canada needs a collective effort, from public health authorities and individuals, as a range of public health measures and restrictions are implemented to interrupt rapid spread of the virus. Canadians are urged to continue following local public health advice and to consistently maintain individual practices that keep us and our families safer: stay home/self-isolate if you have any symptoms, and maintain individual protective practices of physical distancing, hand, cough and surface hygiene and wearing a face mask as appropriate (including when you can not consistently keep two metres apart from people outside your immediate household). 

Canadians can also go the extra mile by sharing credible information on COVID-19 risks and prevention practices and measures to reduce COVID-19 in communities and by downloading the COVID Alert app to break the cycle of infection and help limit the spread of COVID-19. Read my backgrounder to access more COVID-19 Information and Resources on ways to reduce the risks and protect yourself and others, including information on COVID-19 vaccination.