Canada is seeing early signs that a wave of infections caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 may have peaked, but hospitals are still under intense strain, chief public health officer Theresa Tam said on Friday.

"There are early indications that infections may have peaked at the national level," Tam said, noting daily case counts had dropped 28 percent compared to the previous week. "However, daily hospital and intensive care unit numbers are still rising steeply, and many hospitals across Canada are under intense strain," she said in a news briefing.

(With input from Reuters)