Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada on July 30, 2020

July 30, 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 115,470 cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including 8,917 deaths. 87% of people have now recovered. Labs across Canada have tested 3,946,565 people for COVID-19 to date. Over the past week, an average of 40,665 people were tested daily, with 1% testing positive. Yesterday’s national daily case count was 476 new cases, bringing the 7-day rolling average to 461 cases being reported daily from across the country.

This week marks six months since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern and Canada announced its first case of COVID-19. During this short time, the virus has spread to infect countries worldwide. Although Canada has managed to flatten the curve and bring the epidemic under some semblance of control, we cannot afford to relax our efforts. Several countries that had been very effective in controlling their COVID-19 epidemic early on have since experienced a resurgence in cases. Worldwide over the past week, the WHO reported an average of over 240,000 new cases and over 6,000 new deaths daily, with the cumulative case count now at over 16.5 million cases, including over 656,000 deaths. COVID-19 has not gone away and spread of the virus is not under control in many areas of world. Until the virus is controlled everywhere, life cannot go back to normal anywhere.

We know what public health actions and everyday individual level precautions we need to take to maintain control of COVID-19 in Canada. As I have said, the virus doesn’t care about our past efforts; what matters is what we do now. Understanding the risks, following local public health guidance and taking appropriate precautions can help us make informed decisions to keep us, our families and community safer. You can find resources here to help guide you.”