The incidence of COVID-19 in Canada has fallen to a near one-year record
The declining number of infections offers hope for an early return to normalcy.
Dr. Teresa Tam, Chief Medical Officer of Health Canada, shared the welcome news in her daily epidemiological report.
COVID-19 activity continues to slow. In the past 7 days, the average infection rate per day in Canada has fallen below the 1,800-case mark. This is the first time this has happened since the fall of 2020.
The number of patients in hospitals is down more than 55% from the peak of the third wave, and the number of deaths is down nearly 40%.
In the coming weeks, provinces will start vaccinating their populations with second doses. Some regions have already begun to gradually loosen restrictions, but somewhere the incidence rate is still still high.
Tam reiterated that one dose of the vaccine is not enough. One-third of those vaccinated with a single dose have a risk of contracting COVID-19, she said, and 20% have a risk of a severe course of the disease.
Due to the success of the vaccination program, the government has begun talking about opening the border with the United States. In addition, it has been revealed that Canada will exempt vaccinated travellers arriving from abroad from mandatory quarantine.
