The Covid Monitor

Stay in Touch Get Latest Updates

Archives

Categories

Ottawa’s medical officer of health ‘concerned’ about COVID-19 wave

Breadcrumb Trail Links News Local News “This is indicative that the level of COVID-19 is very high in Ottawa right now, higher than the January Omicron wave.". Dr. Vera Etches wears a mask during a June 9 ceremony in which she and the Ottawa Public Health team were presented with the Key to the City. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia Article content Amid a summer surge of COVID-19, Ottawa’s medical officer of health says “now is the time” to adapt to the amount of the virus circulating in the city by wearing masks, staying home when sick, getting boosted and limiting...

COVID-19 in Alberta: With rising case counts, seventh wave has arrived

Breadcrumb Trail Links Local News 'It's been climbing even though the testing numbers are small, that trend has always been pretty useful,' said Dr. Lynora Saxinger, a University of Alberta infectious-disease specialist of the test positivity rate. 'I don’t like the way that it’s heading.' Coronavirus mutation is continuously taking place as populations' immunity grows. Photo by Getty Images Article content Alberta has entered the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic’s seventh wave, according to the latest data published by the province on Wednesday, but it’s too soon to say how severe, or not, it will be. Advertisement 2 This...

Mask up, get boosted: Independent B.C. report warns next COVID wave is here

British Columbians should get back to wearing masks and potentially seek out a COVID-19 booster shot as soon as possible, according to a new independent report. The independent B.C. COVID-19 modelling group’s latest report, released Wednesday, says the province is already facing a third Omicron wave, driven by the highly-transmissible BA.5 variant. Read more: COVID-19 cases in B.C. hospitals jump by nearly 100, admissions rise for 2nd week “Anybody with any health concerns should absolutely be getting boosted if they’re eligible and can get one right now,” said UBC mathematical biologist and modelling group member Sarah Otto.“Our next wave is...

COVID: Canada enters summer wave, experts say

As summer festivals get underway across Canada, so too has another wave of COVID-19, experts warn. "There is a potential for things to get substantially worse if we're not a little bit careful and don't take some basic steps to try to mitigate the spread of these variants," Dr. Christopher Labos, a Montreal-based epidemiologist and cardiologist, told CTV News. The more infectious BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants are expected to make up a larger share of all COVID-19 cases in Canada. Labos says people may be more vulnerable if more time has passed since their last...

COVID-19: Cases climb across Maritimes amid concerns of new pandemic wave

Despite reported COVID-19 cases riding a steady climb across the Maritimes, there’s reluctance from health officials in the region to declare a new pandemic wave. Prince Edward Island came the closest on Friday, with a brief statement from the island’s Public Health office saying the increase (of 1,070 new cases during the past week) "likely indicates the beginning of a new wave of infections." Public Health in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have noted the case jumps, stopping short of defining any summer pandemic trends. Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, said...

Majority of Canadians worry new COVID-19 wave will prompt return of restrictions

More than half of Canadians are worried a fall wave of COVID-19 will prompt the return of significant restrictions to public life such as mask mandates, social distancing and reduced gathering sizes, a new Nanos poll suggests. Nanos Research found that 55 per cent of Canadians are worried or somewhat worried about a fall upswing in COVID-19 transmission prompting a return to restrictions to public life that largely ended in Ontario in early 2022. Among 1,002 randomly selected Canadian adults, 16 per cent told Nanos they were worried about a fall wave prompting a return of restrictions, while 39 per...

The BA.5 subvariant is fuelling another COVID wave

A highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus is spreading through Canada, driving another wave of infections, even among those who have recently recovered from COVID-19.The Omicron subvariant BA.5, and to a lesser extent, BA.4, is largely behind the latest wave — the seventh of the pandemic and the third since the arrival of Omicron. Both have shown an ability to evade the protection offered by previous infection. "The BA.5 subvariant has mutated to the extent that your body is not recognizing it and people are getting reinfected," said Dr. Fahad Razak, an internist at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and the scientific director of Ontario's...

Another COVID-19 wave appears to be arriving in Niagara, earlier than Hirji expected

As COVID-19 hospitalizations again increase in the region, Niagara’s top public health doctor is calling on political leaders to take the pandemic seriously and implement measures to control it long term.Niagara Region acting medical officer of health Dr. Mustafa Hirji said a new wave of infection was “very much expected,” although “the timing is earlier than we thought.”“Only by treating the pandemic seriously and instituting sustainable measures to control COVID-19 for the long term can we reduce illness, protect our loved ones, relieve our hospitals, give our economy the opportunity to prosper, and slow viral mutation so we stop being...

Is Omicron BA.5 ‘Worst Version’ Of Covid-19 Coronavirus Seen?

As can be seen in the U.K.'s Heathrow Airport on June 1, 2022 in London, England, many people have ... [+] stopped maintaining Covid-19 precautions such as face mask wearing and social distancing. This may have been fueling the BA.5 Omicron subvariant upswing that has hit the U.K. and is now reaching the U.S. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) Getty Images Let’s clear up one misconception. Viruses aren’t like deodorant on your armpit or a fart in a room. They don’t necessarily automatically get weaker over time. In fact, often it’s quite the opposite. Mutations and natural selection can help...