An expected but probably different wave of COVID-19 is “almost baked” for this fall, says the scientific director of the Ontario Scientific Advisory Table.
Dr Peter Juni told the CTV News Channel on Saturday that while Canadians should be aware of the upcoming autumn wave, there is hope for a “honeymoon period” this summer, as long as new versions of COVID-19 do not appear.
But the challenge will come as the weather begins to cool and immunity to infections begins to decline, he said.
“It will be different than before, because almost all of us will have eaten [exposure] of the virus several times, “Juni said.
“Usually just through vaccines or a combination of vaccines and infections, some of us just through infection, and then it will just depend on what we see there [and] how strongly we must react then. “
Juni suspects that Canadians aged 50 and over will need to have another booster injection at this time to protect themselves from a serious infection that will require hospitalization.
“If it has to be stronger, then it will be a mass vaccination campaign for everyone over the age of 17, and in addition we will have to take into account that we may have several months in which the masks will be needed again. closed. “
Canada’s provinces and territories have eased many of their pandemic restrictions, including mask mandates, in recent months.
This comes after the federal government announced on Friday that it would ease a number of travel restrictions from Monday for those who are fully vaccinated and children, regardless of their vaccination status.
Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children aged five to 11 and accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent or guardian will not be required to complete a COVID-19 test prior to entry to enter Canada.
Pre-entry tests will still be required for eligible partially vaccinated or unvaccinated passengers aged 12 and over. Children under the age of five are not required to take a negative test.
Fully vaccinated Canadians will also not be required to disguise themselves indoors and outdoors for 14 days after their return.
This requirement of the federal government applied even if the provincial and territorial rules were less restrictive.
Earlier, Juni told CTVNews.ca that he did not believe that this rule was necessary at this stage of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, passengers still have to wear a mask throughout their journey when traveling by air or rail in Canada.
Travelers must also use the ArriveCAN app or website to provide their contact information and proof of vaccination within 72 hours of arriving in Canada or before boarding an arriving aircraft or cruise ship.
Infectious Diseases Specialist Dr Isak Bogoch told CTV News Channel on Saturday that he believed this phasing out was “a very sensible direction to take”.
“Listen, we still have to be careful. We know there are a lot of COVIDs out there, we still have to be vaccinated, we still have to wear a mask, but are we really preventing more COVIDs from entering the country, which significantly affects this current wave with this policy? We are not, and I think it is very reasonable that they undo that, “he said.
Junie says some restrictions can be lifted, including on the border, given that the landscape is changing.
However, one challenge is the potential for more health professionals to be knocked out by COVID-19 if community transmission remains high.
This is in addition to the burnout that health workers went through both before and during the pandemic, Juni said.
The number of patients in hospital for COVID-19 in Canada has increased in the last few weeks, but remains below the peak observed during the Omicron wave last winter, according to data from the Public Health Agency of Canada on April 18.
In Ontario, the number of COVID-19 patients seems to have leveled off slightly in recent days and is still well below the Omicron wave.
Most patients in a hospital with COVID-19 currently in Ontario have been admitted for other reasons, but the test was later positive, according to provincial government data, while most in intensive care are there for a COVID-related cause.
As of April 22, approximately three-quarters of all people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Canada are 50 years of age or older.
With files from Rachel Ayelo
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