Canadian public health officials say the peak of the sixth wave of COVID-19 deliveries has already passed or will soon pass in some parts of the country.
At the news briefing they deliver weekly, Drs Theresa Tam and Howard Njoo said on Friday that indicators of disease activity-from cases reported daily to positive lab tests-are showing a decline. transmission in many places.
It’s hard to speak for the whole country, but I think we can generally say that we’re pretty close to the top or even that the top has already been surpassed.said Dr. Njoo, deputy chief administrator of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
Admit it, the coronavirus is still spreading in the country and efforts must be made to curb it, as it continues to evolve. However, Canadian public health authorities predict it is possible to take advantage of the period of low virus activity in the coming months.
At milder temperatures, we are in a much better situation now than ever beforeaccording to Dr. Njoo.
Asked to clarify whether science now makes it possible to clearly rule out the seasonality of COVID-19, Dr Njoo replied that he is maybe too early for rite.
However, experience from previous waves showed lower levels of virus activity and transmission during the summer. However, Dr. recalled. Njoo that in Canada, summer temperatures spread in a shorter period of time than in many places in the world.
Wearing a mask
Dr. explained. Njoo who are the advocates of public health better maintain the vaccination strategy […] : we must remain supportive of COVID-19 activity and continue to apply personal protection measures.
These steps are:
- stay home if you have symptoms or received a positive test result;
- improve ventilation;
- continue to wear the mask in common indoor spaces or crowded areas when you are with people you are not with.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam highlighted the importance of Canadians getting their booster dose of one of the COVID-19 vaccines.
According to the latest figures published by Ottawa, less than 55% of Canadians aged 12 and over have received their third dose. Data on the fourth dose is not available in the federal dashboard.
Wastewater that speaks volumes
The wastewater data also shows indications of a possible plateau, or even decline after the peak [de contagion] in their regioncontinued Dr. Njoo.
L ‘PHAC also designed a cybertool (New window), the Wastewater COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard, to disseminate data from several major cities about it. Other cities will be added in the coming months.
Wastewater testing can help determine if the incidence of COVID-19 in a community is increasing or decreasing. With this in mind, Public Health invites Canadians to consult this dashboard.
A better picture of post-COVID-19 syndrome
Furthermore, thePHAC and Statistics Canada is conducting a survey to assess the prevalence of long -term COVID in the Canadian population.
According to Dr. Tam, there are at least a hundred variable symptoms. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult for medical professionals to make a diagnosis.
We need proper diagnostics and that’s what research is all about. [ainsi que sur des] markers of the long -term effect of COVIDdid he say.
While the data is still sketchy, Drs. Tam that the effects of post-COVID syndrome can be quite durable.
The survey should make it possible to determine which segments of the population are more vulnerable to this chronic infection.
Source: Radio-Canada