Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada on August 3, 2020

Statement

August 3, 2020 - Ottawa, ON - Public Health Agency of Canada

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 116,884 cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including 8,945 deaths. 87% of people have now recovered. Labs across Canada have tested 4,143,459 people for COVID-19 to date. Over the past week, an average of 40,665 people were tested daily, with 1% testing positive and an average of 461 cases were reported daily from across the country.

This summer, the virus that causes COVID-19 is active worldwide and looking for the next place to stage a big comeback, while making stops along the way wherever opportunities exist. We’ve been taught some hard lessons. Summer doesn’t make the virus go away, and gatherings and absence of precautions present key opportunities for exposure and spreading or superspreading the virus. Places that once had the virus under control are not immune to resurgence, as we’ve seen in several countries. But, Canada doesn’t have to be one of those places. There are things we can do to stop COVID-19 from finding opportunities to spread and surge. If we all stick to activities within a small, consistent social bubble; practise physical distancing; avoid higher-risk settings; and layer on precautions (handwashing, cough etiquette, wearing a mask/face covering) we can keep the pressure on and squeeze the virus out of our summer plans.

Individual actions matter. What each of us do now will shape our collective future. Back to school, work and recreation plans require more than stocking up on new stationary, clothes and sports equipment. If we want the Fall to bring back more of the things that we all enjoy, while protecting our families and communities at the same time, we all need to stick to the precautions that we know work now. 

You can find resources here to help guide you.” 

Contacts

Media Relations
Public Health Agency of Canada
613-957-2983
hc.media.sc@canada.ca

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