Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, is concerned about Canadians increasing their intake of junk food and alcohol, as well as their mental health, according to a statement made on June 7.

The concerns are in response to the findings of a Statistics Canada survey on how the pandemic is affecting Canadians, released this past week.

1/4 #COVID19 key concerns in 🇨🇦: Today, in lieu of a daily in-person update to the media, I have issued a Sunday statement you can read in full here: https://t.co/IuAWdFR4ei

— Dr. Theresa Tam (@CPHO_Canada) June 7, 2020

"I am concerned about Canadians' mental health," stated Tam. "Almost one in five participants reported symptoms consistent with moderate or severe anxiety. The results also show more Canadians have increased their consumption of alcohol and junk food or sweets since the beginning of the pandemic."

She stated that she was "pleased to see that 92% of participants confirmed they have been practising physical distancing, and 95% have reported washing their hands more regularly," though.

There are now 95,057 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada and 56 per cent of cases have recovered, and labs across Canada have tested 1,868,000 people to date.

"While social interactions and activities might look different right now, Canadians should be actively looking for safe ways to socialize, engage in physical activity and make healthy choices," stated Tam. 

"This can include virtual calls with friends and family, at-home or outdoor workouts, healthy food choices and if needed, seeking virtual mental health resources."

She suggests taking advantage of the free Wellness Together Canada portal, which can help with support for both mental health and substance abuse issues, as well as mental health resources available through your workplace, or provincial/territorial government.