Trudeau urges vigilance, government releases COVID-19 case projections

In selling his message, Trudeau urged Canadians to think of the front-line workers in health care and other industries who have been bearing the brunt of the pandemic this year.

„They have been heroes. They have been going above and beyond anything they might have thought they were signing up for,” said Trudeau.

„We need to help them. We need to give them a break.”

Trudeau’s plea comes as new modelling from the Public Health Agency of Canada estimates the number of COVID-19 cases could reach 60,000 a day by the end of December if Canadians increase their current level of contact with other people. That number could be limited to 20,000 a day if Canadians maintain their current number of personal contacts, with the possibility of another 1,000 deaths during that time span. So far, more than 11,300 have died nationally from COVID-19.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the caseload has already surpassed the peak seen during the spring wave of the virus, and it is spreading across a wider geographic area of Canada.

But the projections come on the heels of further restrictions in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec that could drive numbers lower.