TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2020) The recent spike in novel coronavirus cases in Canada has been driven by a majority share of infections among young adults, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo told reporters on Tuesday.
The spike has seen the daily average of new cases rise from 300 in early July, to 350 last week to an average of 450 to 460 cases this week.
"The increased proportion of cases is among, what we call, young adults. Whereas, for example, back in May it was a smaller percentage - maybe a third of cases across the board in Canada - more recently it's been about 55 percent. And that is concerning," Njoo said.
The rise in cases among young Canadian adults - under the age of 40 - has been attributed by public health officials to people attending parties, nightclubs and bars.
On Monday, British Columbia's Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry warned that a rising number of cases in the province could spur "explosive growth" of novel coronavirus infections. Njoo called Henry's concerns "valid."
As of Tuesday, 203 new cases in Ontario and 180 new cases in Quebec pushed Canada's coronavirus tally to more than 111,500. The virus-related death toll stands at 8,860.
