Coronavirus Update: Canada's Second Wave of COVID-19 May Come in September, Epidemiologists Predict

Canada has tested over 1,420,000 people for COVID-19, among those tested were 80,142 confirmed cases, while half of the total number of the confirmed cases have since recovered.

It may seem like the world is returning to normal as lockdown restrictions have begun to loosen, but epidemiologists warn that it is still too early to let our guards down as the second wave of COVID-19 infection may come in September.

Rama Nair, an expert in epidemiology, teacher, and researcher at the University of Ottawa, told CBC News, "Until we get the vaccine, I don't think we can really avoid the second wave."

Nair believes that the gains Canada has made in containing the virus can be undone if safety measures—such as social distancing, frequent handwashing, wearing of masks—are not strictly followed.

"It's not just going to disappear. We haven't reached anywhere near the herd immunity that we require to avoid a second wave," CBC News quoted Nair as saying.

Herd immunity is when a sufficiently high proportion of a certain population is immune to a contagious disease, and thus controlling its spread.

According to CBC News, the president of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) Dr. Sandy Buchman said that Canada is not prepared for a possible second wave of COVID-19 due to a shortage in supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and poor testing numbers are leaving Canadians vulnerable.

"We're gambling by reopening," Buchman told the Senate's social affairs committee Wednesday.

"We need the contact tracing and serological testing in order to make decisions about what to do next ... We're scrambling. In my opinion, we're not fully prepared for a second wave," he added.

Buchman warned the senators that Canada's healthcare system was already in a bad shape before the pandemic hit and the virus only made things much worse.

In a Global News report, Canada's public health office has recorded over 6,031 COVID-19-related deaths. The grim milestone came as provinces reported their latest coronavirus numbers Wednesday (May 20), during a week when several provinces moved to reopen their economy and loosened some public health restrictions.

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday (May 19) that the U.S.-Canada border will remain closed to non-essential travels for another month.