OTTAWA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Young adults are driving the new cases of COVID-19 higher in Canada, health authorities said Sunday, warning of serious health consequences and suggesting strict prevention measures.

For the week ending July 22, "young adults aged 20-39 years of age account for the highest incidence rates across all ages in Canada," said Theresa Tam, chief public health officer of Canada, in a statement.

Of the confirmed cases in this past week, 63 percent were young people under the age of 39. Incidence rates were highest for males and females in the 20-29 year age group, at 14.4 and 13.8 cases per 100,000 population, respectively, followed by the 30-39 year age group.

An average of over 485 cases were confirmed infected with the virus daily from across the country in the period of time, Tam said, which raised the country's caseload to 113,556, including 8,885 deaths, as of Sunday.

"Moreover, people in any age groups, not just elderly adults, can face serious health consequences due to the complications of COVID-19. Younger Canadians are not invincible to severe illness," Tam warned, saying 31 percent of the young adults infected with the coronavirus were hospitalized for their illness.

She urged all Canadians to continue to take steps to reduce their risk of exposure to the virus and spread of the infection to others, including social distancing and wearing a mask. Enditem

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