Canada's COVID-19 cases surpass 1.2 million despite decreased daily cases

People line up to enter a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Toronto, Canada, on April 28, 2021. Canada reported 5,071 new COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday afternoon, bringing the total number to 1,200,057, including 24,106 deaths and 101,586 variants, according to CTV. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

OTTAWA, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Canada reported 5,071 new COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday afternoon, bringing the total number to 1,200,057, including 24,106 deaths and 101,586 variants, according to CTV.

Canada's national-level data showed a seven-day average of 7,992 new cases daily on April 21-27, a 7.5 percent decrease compared to the previous seven days, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) on Wednesday.

Elevated infection rates continue to impact COVID-19 severity indicators in the country, particularly in areas with sustained high levels of disease activity, said Theresa Tam, the country's chief public health officer, in a statement on Wednesday. "The rise in severe and critical illnesses continues to place a prolonged and heavy strain on the health system and healthcare workforce."

An average of 4,382 people with COVID-19 was being treated in hospitals across Canada everyday during the most recent seven-day period on April 21-27, representing a 13 percent increase over last week, Tam said.

This includes, on average 1,365 people who were being treated in intensive care units, which is 17 percent higher than the previous week, she said. "The mortality trend is also still on the rise, with the seven-day average of 50 deaths reported daily 10 percent higher than the week prior."

As of Tuesday, a total of 98,393 variant of concern cases were reported across Canada, including 94,575 B.1.1.7 variants, 3,240 P.1 variants and 578 B.1.351 variants, Tam added.