DR. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, on Thursday warned once again that while COVID-19 continues to impact people of all ages in Canada, infection rates are highest among those under 60 years of age.

She said in a statement: “Serious illness can occur at any age and evidence indicates that variants of concern can be associated with more severe illness and increased risk of death. In addition, circulation of COVID-19 in younger, more mobile and socially-connected adults is an ongoing risk for spread into high-risk populations and settings.”

She added: “As of April 28, a total of 102,700 variant of concern cases have been reported across Canada, including 98,706 involving B.1.1.7 variants, 3,384 P.1 variants and 610 B.1.351 variants. These represent the tip of the iceberg, as there are many more COVID-19 cases that have screened positive for mutations indicative of variants of concern. The B.1.1.7 variant has now been reported in all provinces and territories, and has replaced the original virus as the dominant strain in several areas.”