Canada 'may' have passed peak of Omicron wave, says top doctorCanada may have passed the peak of the Omicron wave but the number of people hospitalized because of COVID-19 is now at its highest level since the pandemic began, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said today.

Social Sharing

Daily average of COVID cases in hospital still sky-high, Tam says

Peter Zimonjic, Lauren Pelley · CBC News(Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)comments

Canada may have passed the peak of the Omicron wave but the number of people hospitalized because of COVID-19 is now at its highest level since the pandemic began, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said today.

"In the weeks since the modelling update, there are early indications that infections may have peaked at the national level, including daily case counts, test positivity, Rt or the effective reproduction number and wastewater surveillance trends," Tam said today.

Nationally, the average daily case count has decreased by 28 per cent since last week. Tam warned that, because lab testing can't keep up with demand as Omicron spreads, that count may underestimate the actual number of cases. 

Tam also said that with test positivity at 22 per cent and the seven-day average of daily cases at almost 27,000, COVID-19 is widespread throughout the country.

While the current wave may have passed its peak, Tam said hospitalization rates are still rising quickly and many hospitals across Canada are under "intense strain."

"Over the past week, an average of over 10,000 people with COVID-19 were being treated in our hospitals each day, surpassing peak daily numbers for all previous waves of the pandemic," Tam said.

"This includes over 1,100 people in intensive care units, which is higher than all but the third wave peak."

• Federal modelling suggests 'very intense' Omicron surge within weeks

• Omicron variant caseload expected to 'rapidly escalate' in the coming days, Tam says

• Trudeau says antiviral treatment won't make up for low vaccination rate among children

Tam again encouraged all unvaccinated Canadians and those who haven't yet received boosters to step up.

Asked about a report from the University of Washington saying that the pandemic is winding down, Tam said it's "possible" but called for caution.

WATCH | Tam reports possible peak of national COVID-19 cases: 

Dr. Tam reports possible peak of national COVID-19 cases

1 day agoDuration 1:12Chief public health officer of Canada says national COVID-19 cases may have peaked but hospitalizations are still on the rise.1:12

"There are many experts in the world trying to work out this question. I don't think [this is] necessarily the scenario, but it is a possible scenario, so I think we need to prepare for different potential futures," she said. 

Tam pointed out that Canadians who've recovered from the virus or have received booster shots will now have stronger immune responses. She also warned that uncertainty over how quickly that increased immunity wanes, and the threat of new variants emerging, complicate the business of making predictions.

After Omicron peaks

"There will be future variants. That's a characteristic of viral infections — they continually mutate and form new variants," said Dr. Cory Neudorf, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan.

"We could have a longer period where a significant [portion] of the population is immune to new waves ... We will see more waves of COVID coming our way in the next year or two, but signs are pointing to smaller, less severe."

• Provinces could make vaccination mandatory, says federal health minister

Neudorf agreed with Tam's call for Canadians to get their booster shots when eligible. He also called for more emphasis on vaccine equity worldwide to minimize the risk of future variants emerging abroad.

"A lot of the global population is still fully susceptible," he said. "We're at a dangerous stage right now, with this combination of immunized and partially immunized people in many countries. It provides good conditions for the virus to mutate."

WATCH | Projections from U.S. researchers suggest pandemic's emergency stage is over: 

U.S. projections suggest pandemic's emergency stage is over

1 day agoDuration 2:40New projections from a research group in the U.S. suggest that the pandemic will soon be over, even though COVID-19 is here to stay.Trudeau says antiviral treatment won't make up for low vaccination rate among children

(editor：)