Canada’s 7-day average for new cases is up 60% this week as compared to last week, standing at 1300 cases. It’s no surprise that the country’s most densely populated provinces, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec, are the most affected.
There is no doubt that the recent surge in cases across all provinces is indicative of a fourth wave in Canada after a period of calm. This wave wouldn’t necessarily look as bad as previous ones thanks to vaccination rates, however it is still something to pay attention to.
About 60% of Canadians are vaccinated, and this significantly decreases the chances of fatality and lessens the burden on the hospital system. Research continuously shows that vaccination protects against severity of the virus, including protection against the delta variant.
“The point is we can’t go back to normal because we continue to have a challenge with the large proportion of people who remain unvaccinated,” said Dr. Peter Juni, director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table. (via CBC News)
The latest federal public health data shows that about 90% of cases are in unvaccinated people, and unvaccinated people are especially vulnerable to the delta variant. Only 0.5% of cases can be seen in vaccinated people.