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Canada could see 60K daily COVID-19 cases by year-end, modelling predicts

The modelling predicts that at current rates of contact, Canada is careening towards a surge of more than 20,000 cases per day by the end of December, but could hit 60,000 if socialization increases
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A worker wearing a protective shield checks COVID-19 samples prior to analysis at a LifeLabs testing facility in Toronto on May 5, 2020. (Cole Burston/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

New modelling from federal health officials show Canada will see between 20,000 to 60,000 COVID-19 cases per day by the end of the year.

By the end of this month, Canada’s death toll is expected to reach 12,000.

Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Teresa Tam says there’s an “urgency” to bring infections down as officials released the dire forecasts indicating that COVID-19 case counts have far surpassed levels seen during the first wave.

The average daily case count in near 4,800 and modelling shows there is rapid growth in the six provinces outside the Atlantic bubble.

The modelling predicts that at current rates of contact, Canada is careening towards a surge of more than 20,000 cases per day by the end of December, but could hit 60,000 if socialization increases.

Test positivity rate has been growing in the last few weeks and has reached over 6.5 per cent. Anything above five per cent indicates countries aren’t testing enough, according to the World Health Organization.

Although COVID-19 numbers have been rising in other parts of the country, Ottawa health officials have been praising residents for their efforts in helping to curb local spread in recent weeks, and encouraging them to keep it up.