OTTAWA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) on Friday confirmed 31,390 new COVID-19 cases for the week of July 10 to 16, pushing the total number to over 4 million.
According to the weekly update issued by the PHAC, the number of total COVID-19 cases and deaths in Canada reached 4,023,104 and 42,447 respectively. The daily positive rate during the week averaged at 16.1 percent, and daily tests per 100,000 people were 79.
The health agency said case counts underestimated the total number of COVID-19 cases because a rapid increase in cases starting in December 2021 led to changes in COVID-19 testing policies and delays in data entry.
Most people in Canada have been vaccinated. Because they're a larger group, there will naturally be more cases among vaccinated people than among unvaccinated people. However, despite their higher case counts, vaccinated people are less likely to get very sick or die, the PHAC said. ■