US warns against travel to Canada due to rising COVID-19 cases

The US is now warning against travel to Canada, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its Level 4 travel advisory list Monday due to rising COVID-19 cases.

"If you must travel to Canada, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel," the CDC's website says. "Because of the current situation in Canada, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants." 

Last week, the CDC said it's not changing its definition of "fully vaccinated." "Individuals are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 if they've received their primary series," CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a briefing Wednesday. "That definition is not changing ... but we are now recommending individuals stay up to date with additional doses they are eligible for." 

Canada reported 25,000 new cases and 45 deaths on Monday morning, with total active cases of 422,000, according to the Canadian government. 

Read more: COVID-19 booster shots: Will I need a fourth vaccine dose?

Also added to the CDC's highest-threat COVID level list on Monday was island nation Curaçao. 

Canada and Curaçao join multiple other countries on the list, including the majority of Europe and parts of Africa. The CDC also has travel on cruise ships on its Level 4 warning list.

COVID is continuing to rise rapidly across the US and the world due to the highly contagious omicron variant. Canada has a 28-day case total of around 690,000, according to Johns Hopkins University's COVID tracking numbers, while the US has a 28-day case total of 10 million. As a percentage of the population, Canada's case rate sits at under 2% compared to above 3% in the US.