New COVID-19 modelling shows a continued national decline in daily new cases and deaths. 

However, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says more contagious variants of concern have been detected in all provinces with increasing spread and prevalence.

According to Dr. Tam, the number of outbreaks in long-term care homes appears to be declining, but more variant-related outbreaks in similar congregate settings are surfacing. 

Dr. Tam says new models that count for variants show Canada could see upwards of 15,000 daily new cases by April without stringent measures and strict adherence to them. 

The new data shows current controls in all provinces may not be sufficient to fully control the spread of variants and further the early lifting of measures could lead to a sudden resurgence.  

Dr. Tam finished with the advice, “For individual Canadians, this means following public health advice and doing our personal best by aiming to have the fewest interactions with the fewest people for the shortest time at the greatest distance possible and while wearing the best-fitting face-mask.”