Nearly five years into its emergence in humans, wastewater data suggest SARS-CoV-2 activity is high across most of Canada, driven by variants that are significantly different from strains circulating even a year ago.

Weekly deaths, however, remain low overall — 54 deaths were reported nationally the week ending Aug. 24 — and nowhere near peak pandemic levels, according to the federal government’s most recent COVID epidemiology update. More than 900 deaths were reported in the third week of January 2022, the deadliest week on record, during the early Omicron surges.