Speaking to reporters outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said even under the best-case projections released earlier in the day by his government, it's likely the "first wave" of COVID-19 peak infection will likely not end until the summer.

“Normality, as it was before, will not come back full-on until we get a vaccine for this… That will be a very long way off,” the prime minister said.

Trudeau said well after the initial peak of COVID-19 infection rates has passed in Canada, Canadians should expect "wavelets" of COVID-19 infections to keep popping back up until a reliable vaccination is developed.

Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam confirmed later on Thursday that Canada now has a total of 19,774 cases of COVID-19, with 461 deaths.

Tam emphasized the importance of maintaining social distancing measures this Easter weekend, urging against religious gatherings and encouraged Canadians to have virtual meetups instead, and to have a "staycation for the nation."

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/6799110/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-return-to-normality-trudeau/

Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc
Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ
Follow Global News on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt
Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB
#coronavirus #COVID19 #JustinTrudeau #GlobalNews