TORONTO -- Canadians are being urged to remain vigilant and practice good public health measures going into the long weekend as the number of active COVID-19 cases across the country surpasses 6,000.
Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and B.C. have all seen steady increases in the number of active COVID-19 cases recently, some recording numbers that haven鈥檛 been seen since the height of the outbreak.
鈥, and we have seen weekend barbecues and other gatherings spark outbreaks in the past," said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta鈥檚 chief medical officer of health.
On Friday, Alberta announced , its tenth straight day of more than 100 newly logged infections. B.C. recorded , bringing the provincial total to 1,233 active cases, the highest since the start of the pandemic. Quebec reported on Friday, a negligible dip from Thursday when it documented its biggest spike since the end of July. Neighbouring Ontario recorded its ninth straight day with more than .
With the Labour Day long weekend upon Canadians, several provincial health officials across the country urged caution and made particular note of the upcoming school year. Many children and young adults head back to school next week, while some already have. In Quebec, where classes resumed last month, officials identified 47 schools with at least one COVID-19 case. But as Canada鈥檚 top doctor noted this week, prevention starts outside the classroom. None of the cases identified at Quebec schools were transmitted within classrooms.
鈥淏ased on what we鈥檝e seen in other countries, you will see cases in schools, but they鈥檒l reflect what鈥檚 happening in the community,鈥 said Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam.
In B.C., health officials said the province "must maintain a very careful " over the long weekend and into the fall.
鈥淲hether you鈥檙e celebrating the Canucks game tonight or meeting friends for a barbecue or camping, let鈥檚 make it a safe, small-group long weekend," wrote B.C. Minister of Health Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, in a press release.
In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford expressed concern that numbers were 鈥溾 in parts of the province and suggested small gatherings and face masks for the long weekend.
鈥淔olks, I can鈥檛 stress it enough: please, if you have small group over, wear a face covering and enjoy yourselves but I'm just really concerned if this starts spreading again,鈥 he said on radio program Newstalk 580 CFRA.
Ford had some more particular advice for Ontarians at a Friday press conference, saying people gathering over the weekend 鈥渟houldn鈥檛 be sharing anything.鈥 鈥淚 don鈥檛 care if it鈥檚 those doobies, joints鈥攚hatever you want to call them鈥攐r drinks. Just don鈥檛 share them,鈥 he said.
In Quebec, Premier Francois Legault implored people to take the 鈥渘ecessary measures鈥 to protect themselves. 鈥淥n the eve of the Labor Day long weekend, Quebeckers are urged to be careful,鈥 he wrote in French .
The messages come following weeks of an upward trend in the number of new cases of COVID-19 that had other experts concerned.
鈥淵ou see this trend that has been very persistently increasing for the last several weeks,鈥 infectious diseases expert Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti told 麻豆影视 Channel Friday.
鈥淭he absolute numbers are fairly low, but we have to remember the trend is what鈥檚 concerning.鈥
Chakrabarti says B.C.鈥檚 numbers are particularly concerning, given that the province was largely seen as a champion in flattening the initial curve.
B.C.'s first wave of COVID-19 peaked on April 28 when there were 717 confirmed cases in the province. By June, that number dipped to below 200.
On Aug. 10, B.C. surpassed 400 active cases. Now the province has more active cases than were reported at any point during the first wave.
鈥淚 do agree that B.C. needs to do something. They鈥檙e seeing a wave coming鈥 they may need to intervene fairly soon,鈥 Chakrabarti said.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Abdu Sharkawy says that while it鈥檚 too early to declare a second wave of COVID-19 in Canada, the rising case numbers need to be watched carefully.
鈥淭hose kinds of trends before we get into cooler weather aren鈥檛 what we want to see,鈥 Sharkawy told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning.
鈥淲e need to allow a little more time to pass before we can properly gauge whether or not this is a trend or a blip on the radar.鈥
But Sharkawy, who has been working on the frontlines of the pandemic since the virus made its way into Canada, fears some Canadians have adopted the sentiment that the pandemic is effectively behind us.
鈥淭his is not the weather鈥攚e can change the trend of COVID-19,鈥 he said.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we want to get ahead of ourselves and panic. What we see is a perfect reflection of the fact that if we move from an attitude of awareness and vigilance, to one of relevant complacency, that鈥檚 what happens.鈥
Sharkawy says that Canadians must remain vigilant about public health measures such as hand washing, distancing, and masking to prevent the spread of the virus, noting that these measures will become even more important as flu season ramps up.
鈥淚 think this is just a reminder that we can do this. It鈥檚 not something that can鈥檛 be changed鈥攁nd the great news is, if we do it the right way, we鈥檒l protect ourselves from the flu and spare ourselves two hardships,鈥 he said.鈥
