BARRIE – Over the past month, Canada has made “good progress” in slowing the growth of COVID-19 across the country, according to Canada’s top doctor.
Dr. Theresa Tam made the comments at a press conference in Ottawa on Friday.
According to the most recent epidemic modeling released by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the rate of decline has “slowed somewhat”, adding that the country could see “bumps” in the trajectory of the pandemic in the near future. months to come.
Tam said that since the last modeling released in early October, the average daily number of cases across the country has continued to decline.
Over the past week, an average of 2,230 cases have been reported daily, she said.
“This means that we are about halfway through the peak of the fourth wave, when more than 4,400 cases were reported daily,” she said.
However, Tam warned that critical illness trends are “still high.”
Modeling shows that nationally, reported cases of COVID-19 are now highest in children under 12.
PHAC says this is because this age group is not yet eligible to receive vaccines.
Tam has confirmed that Health Canada’s review of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children under 12 is still ongoing, which she says will take “weeks, not months.”
PHAC says about 4.3 million children under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for vaccination.
According to Tam, those under 12 currently account for more than 20 percent of daily cases, although they only make up 12 percent of the Canadian population.
She said, however, that this was “not unexpected”, given the “high level of immunization in other age groups”.
Tam said that in general, young children suffer from milder infections, but added that there are rare cases of more serious illness.
COVID-19-related deaths in young children occur rarely, Tam continued, adding that during the pandemic there have been fewer than 20 deaths among those under 19.
VACCINES
According to the latest data from PHAC, more than 58.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Canada since vaccination began in mid-December.
PHAC data suggests as of 9 p.m. EDT Thursday, 58,964,890 doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Canada.
This means that more than 89 percent of the eligible population – those 12 and older – have received at least one injection, while more than 84 percent of eligible Canadians are fully immunized.
But, Tam said there are still more than 5.5 million Canadians who could receive a vaccine, but who have not yet been fully immunized.
PHAC data shows that 4 million people have not yet received a single dose, while 1.5 million people are only partially vaccinated.
AUTUMN AND WINTER
Canada could still be on a “bumpy road” for the remainder of the fall and into winter, Tam warned.
“This virus has proven time and time again that this virus can undergo evolutions,” she said. “There is a possibility that we can get different variations – and we have to watch that. “
When asked if the pandemic could be over by the end of winter in Canada, PHAC’s Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr Howard Njoo said he was “Too early to tell,” adding that several factors could affect the trajectory of the pandemic.
“I think we have to be careful,” he said in French.
PHAC urges Canadians to “protect themselves” from respiratory infections as the country heads into winter.
This includes obtaining COVID-19 vaccines, flu shots and other routine vaccines, continuing to wear face masks, improving indoor ventilation and avoiding crowds.
This is breaking news. More information will be added as it becomes available.
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