TORONTO -- With cases of COVID-19 on the rise across Canada after a summer drop, doctors say the country has entered a fourth wave of the pandemic.

Canada鈥檚 seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases is nearing 1,300, up 60 per cent from last week. The bulk of new infections are in British Columbia, which reported more than 1,000 new infections between Sunday and Tuesday, followed by Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec.

Dr. Fahad Razak, an internal medicine physician at St. Michael鈥檚 Hospital in Toronto, said Canada is now in a fourth wave.

鈥淔rom mid-July to mid-August, there鈥檚 been a four-fold increase [in cases],鈥漢e told 愛污传媒 Channel on Wednesday, adding that he is grateful cases are nowhere near figures seen during the third wave.

Razak warned 鈥渁 wave can happen very, very quickly鈥 with the more infectious Delta variant of the virus.

鈥淵ou can have really explosive growth,鈥 he said, adding that that鈥檚 what鈥檚 playing out in United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands right now.

Dr. Peter Juni, the scientific director of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, also warned Canada is in a fourth wave.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 see any reopening considering right now,鈥 he told , referring to Ontario reopening. 鈥淲e need to be very careful that we don鈥檛 have further explosive growth.鈥

But Juni said the vaccine rollout is what differentiates this wave compared to previous ones in Canada.

Right now, unvaccinated people make up the bulk of new cases. data show that unvaccinated people have made up 90 per cent of all COVID-19 cases, since the vaccine rollout began in December.

Juni urged those still on the fence to get their shot, as they鈥檙e the most likely to be hospitalized with serious illness.

GETTING VACCINATED PROTECTS THOSE INELIGIBLE FOR SHOT

To help get cases under control, the Ontario government which include vaccinated people being allowed to end self-isolating after a negative COVID-19 test and having their symptoms subside.

Razak said the rules make sense given the lower likelihood of vaccinated people catching COVID-19 and needing to be hospitalized. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just another great example of how vaccines will protect us and allow us to get back to a normal life.鈥

The move in Ontario is being seen as a way to incentivize people to get the shot. But other provinces are trying other methods.

which will be needed to access public events, bars, restaurants and gyms.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga, Ont. agrees that Canada is in the midst of a fourth wave, but in his opinion, people shouldn鈥檛 feel forced to take vaccines.

鈥淚 would rather have people do things by choice,鈥 he told 愛污传媒 Channel on Wednesday. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like forcing things except in certain examples, such as if you work with high-risk populations like in a nursing home.鈥

Razak joined the chorus of front-line health professionals and public health workers urging people to get their shot in order to protect those aren鈥檛 eligible for the vaccine, such as young children.

鈥淭he most we can do as adults, as those who care for children and are responsible for them, is get everyone as vaccinated as possible,鈥 he said.

鈥淭his is the wall that we have to create.鈥