We could see as many as 60,000 COVID-19 cases a day in Canada by the end of the year if we increase our contact rates.

Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr.Theresa Tam, issued the dire warning on Friday and says there’s “urgency” to bring infections down.

The forecasts predict that at current rates Canada’s case total could land between 366,500 and 378,600 and the death toll could fall between 11,870 and 12,120 by the end of the month.

If socialization increases, the projections indicate that as 2020 draws to a close, Canada could see twelvefold increase from the current level of around 5,000 cases per day.

The high numbers are already straining the health-care system in some regions.