Ottawa, Mar 25 (IANS): While the coronavirus pandemic has continued to impact people of all ages in Canada, new infection rates are the highest among those aged 20 to 39, said Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam in a statement.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Canada reported 2,643 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the cumulative total to 944,962, with 22,754 deaths and 885,604 recoveries, Xinhua news agency reported.

The country's national-level data show a seven-day average of 3,772 new cases daily on March 17 to 23.

Currently, there are 36,310 active cases across the country, Tam said.

Tam said the circulation of the virus in younger, more mobile and socially-connected adults presents an ongoing risk for spread into high-risk populations and settings.

"The emergence and spread of certain SARS-CoV-2 virus variants heighten this concern," Tam said.

As of Tuesday, a total of 6,211 variants of concern have been reported across Canada -- 5,812 B.1.1.7 variants, 247 B.1.351 variants and 152 P.1 variants.

"Amid increasing case counts, shifting severity trends, and a rising proportion of cases involving variants of concern in heavily impacted areas of Canada we need to remain vigilant," Tam said.

"Maintaining public health measures and individual precautions is crucial to reducing infection rates and avoiding further spread of new variants where accelerated epidemic growth can take off very quickly."