Tam: COVID winter surge will be worse if Omicron becomes dominant
Posted December 10, 2021 1:46 pm.
Last Updated December 10, 2021 6:12 pm.
The projected winter surge of COVID-19 infections in Canada will be more concerning if the new Omicron variant becomes the dominant strain, says Canada’s top doctor.
Speaking during the federal government’s latest COVID-19 modelling update in Ottawa on Friday, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Theresa Tam is urging caution from Canadians over the holiday season to ensure things don’t spiral out of control.
“Why we are asking for caution is that when that curve takes off, even lower severity impacts can result in a large number of people in the hospital,” says Tam. “We just want to keep things smoothed out and manageable.”
If the Delta variant remains the dominant strain, the modelling projects Canada will see somewhere between 2,900 and 15,000 cases per day by mid-January. Whether things land towards the lower end of that projection is dependent on the effect of public health measures.
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Tam says if Omicron becomes dominate then daily cases could reach 26,600 by mid-January. This is based on the assumption that the new variant is three times more transmissible than Delta.
“The Omicron variant of concern is a cruel reminder that the global epidemiological situation can change quickly,” said Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, during the Friday update.
“At any given time we may need to change gear, adjust our plans, or change our behaviour to meet the needs of the moment.”
Duclos did not specifically tell Canadians to stay home over the holidays, but he did advise that international travel moving forward is a risky move. Duclos warned all travellers that significant delays and complications could become a reality.
A recent survey revealed the majority of Canadians are not worried about contracting Omicron and haven’t adjusted their behaviours as a result of its emergence. The survey suggested that two-thirds of respondents believe the current vaccines or peoples’ own immunity will be enough to protect them.
There was an average of over 3,300 new daily cases in Canada over the past week. Tam says there are 87 confirmed cases of Omicron in Canada so far.
With files from Michael Talbot of CityNews
