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May 1, 2020 9:20 PM -

Dr. Theresa Tam: Lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are just the tip of the iceberg

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Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam arrives for a press conference on COVID-19 at West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Dr. Theresa Tam says lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are just the tip of the iceberg of the actual spread of the illness.

She says the total numbers of people who have contracted the novel coronavirus will be clearer, and much larger, once good blood tests for antibodies are available and widespread.

The key to containing the pandemic is still keeping the number of cases low enough that severely ill patients don't overwhelm the health system, Tam says.

She says Canada is succeeding at that so far and that's more important for now than knowing exactly how many COVID-19 cases are out there.

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