Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam responds to a question during a news conference in Ottawa, Friday, Aug. 14, 2020.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
August 14, 2020 - 11:00 AM
OTTAWA - Canada's chief public health officer says surges in new cases of COVID-19 are expected going forward.
Dr. Theresa Tam says as Canada continues to reopen, the federal government is planning for a "reasonable worst-case scenario."
That would mean a peak in cases this fall, followed by ongoing ups and downs, where the demand could temporarily exceed the capacity of the health-care system to cope.
Tam says continuing to build up that capacity, while encouraging people to follow best public health practices, is essential.
The federal government released its latest national modelling projections for the spread of the novel coronavirus today.
It suggests the number of cases by Aug. 23 could be as high as 127,740 and the number of deaths as high as 9,115.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2020.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2020