Canada’s COVID-19 cases are still falling after Thanksgiving weekend, data shows

The declines don't mean all provinces and territories are out of the woods, however, as hospitals remain pushed to the brink by COVID-19 patients.

Despite fears of a surge in COVID-19 cases following the Thanksgiving long weekend, infections are continuing to fall across most of Canada, according to national data.

The overall positivity rate has also fallen by nearly 50 per cent from the height of the fourth wave in mid-September — suggesting that, despite a drop in testing, fewer people are contracting the virus. The number of active cases has fallen as well.

The declines don’t mean all provinces and territories are out of the woods, however, as health officials are still warning of bursting health-care capacity stemming from the earlier surge.

Yet the data shows that the national outlook is beginning to look sunnier.

Back on Sept. 17, 5,104 new cases were reported across the country out of more than 116,800 tests, a positivity rate of 4.4 per cent.

On Thursday, there were 2,871 new infections, accounting for just 2.8 per cent of the over 101,900 tests performed.

Over two weeks after the Thanksgiving holiday, the seven-day average for new cases is continuing to fall from last month’s peak. It now sits at 2,818 cases per day, marking a 35 per cent drop since Sept. 21.

On Wednesday, the number of active cases nationwide dipped below 30,000 for the first time since Aug. 27. By comparison, there were close to 50,000 active cases at the height of the fourth wave last month.