COVID-19 activity in Canada showing early signs that it may be increasing: data

COVID-19 infections may be slowly starting to rise again in Canada, new data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) suggests.

COVID-19 infections may be slowly starting to rise again in Canada, new data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) suggests.

"There are signs of continued fluctuations in some COVID-19 activity indicators after a long period of gradual decline," the agency's online epidemiology update said on Tuesday.

"This may be an early sign of increases in activity."

COVID-19 activity is still low to moderate across the provinces and territories, the update said.

Dr. Allison McGeer, an infectious diseases specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, said COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the U.S. and in other parts of the world.

"I think the solid evidence is that COVID is coming back (in Canada)," she said, noting that noticeable increased activity likely won't happen for "another few weeks at least."

Public health experts are using wastewater surveillance across the country and COVID-19 test positivity rates to determine the level of COVID-19 activity.