OTTAWA (Reuters) – The rate of decline in Canadian COVID-19 cases has slowed somewhat, but it is too soon to fully lift precautions put in place to fight the pandemic, the country’s top health official said on Friday.
Theresa Tam told a briefing that the incidence of reported cases was now highest among children under 12, who are not yet eligible for vaccinations.
An average of 2,230 new cases were reported daily over the previous week compared with more than 4,400 during the peak of the fourth wave. Data show that as of Oct. 23, 83.7% of eligible Canadians had been fully inoculated.
“Over the past month we’ve made good progress in slowing epidemic growth across most jurisdiction in Canada. However, the latest surveillance data suggests that the rate of decline has slowed somewhat,” Tam said.
“As we head into the winter months with a strained and fragile health system in many areas of the country, we must remain vigilant. … It is still too soon to fully ease public health measures.”
Canada’s federal health ministry says it expects to announce by the end of November whether Pfizer Inc’s vaccine can be given to those aged between 5 and 11.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
