COVID-19 transmission is mostly under control in Canada according to the latest modelling by the Public Health Agency.
"After a very challenging spring, things are continuing to move in the right direction. We still have some hot spots in some parts of the country, but nationally the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are declining over time," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The infection rate in Canada has been below one for over eight weeks, signalling most people who test positive are not transmitting it to others. However, public health officials are reminding Canadians the threat has not been eliminated, and public health measures must continue to keep any resurgence of the virus small.
"While we are on the right track, the fight over COVID-19 is not over yet. As we start to reopen parts of the economy, we must continue to follow local public health guidelines to keep each other safe," said Trudeau.
Canada's chief public health officer, Theresa Tam, said fast and thorough case detection and contact tracing are the keys to limit the spread.
"The virus has not disappeared, and resurgence can happen any time or at any place. Until there is a vaccine or effective treatment, we need to continue to live with COVID-19," said Tam.
She is asking Canadians to limit contact with others as much as possible to reduce your risk and control the rate of infection in Canada.
"Consider that the fewer people you have contact with, the quicker and easier it will be for public health to trace them all down and interrupt chains of transmission to keep the spread of COVID-19 under control," said Tam.
The Public Health Agency of Canada and Prime Minister Trudeau will no longer be holding daily briefings on COVID-19. Briefings will only be held twice a week unless there is urgent news to share.
