Your weekly COVID-19 update

Every Tuesday, the Maclean's daily newsletter will catch you up on what you need to know about Canada's fight against the coronavirus. This week, Patricia Treble focuses on one story worth watching, and you can get a sneak peek here. You'll also get the same mix of Maclean's stories you expect every day if you scroll down below.

A key indicator of COVID-19’s spread is rising. Yesterday, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, announced that the latest national weekly positivity rate—the share of tests that are positive for COVID-19—was 2.4 per cent, a long way off from the end of August when it was 0.7 per cent. Ontario’s rate now stands at 3.4 per cent, its highest level since late May . Quebec’s rate is 4.8 per cent, Alberta’s is 2.8 per cent while British Columbia’s is 2.6 per cent.

The rates are rough measures, as it can take a few days for positive cases to be reported. However, looking at their level and trajectory can help explain whether a jurisdiction is doing enough testing to control its COVID-19 outbreaks and how well its testing regimen is doing at finding new cases and stopping spread to other residents. Reduce testing without a corresponding reduction in the number of cases, and positivity will pop; increase testing while reducing the spread of infection and positivity will fall. It can take a while for trends to become evident, but early indications that Canada’s second wave is worsening may be found in the rising positivity rates.

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