When Manitobans celebrate their first summer without public health restrictions since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a Winnipeg epidemiologist says cases of more contagious Omicron variants could increase rapidly if people forget the steps they take. help keep infections at bay sooner.
The warmer months are also coming, according to Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s director of public health, while the COVID-19 case count is stable right now, officials are preparing for a resurgence and are calling for people who receive their booster doses. In late summer or early fall, Tam said immunoevasive variants such as BA.4 and BA.5 could become widespread.
Cynthia Carr, founder of EPI Research Inc. in Winnipeg, he says we know these variants are here, but since COVID-19 has been such an unpredictable disease, it’s still hard to say what another wave of cases might look like.
While the new variants already have the advantage of being more transmissible, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost, he said.
“It’s hard to predict how long the increase could last and what the impact will be, but it’s not hard to know that the more we reduce the barriers, the more opportunities the virus will have,” Carr said.
Carr said things like wearing masks inside, being cautious when there are crowds of people and being up to date on vaccine doses this summer could make a big difference in what the situation looks like in the fall.
Caution in different degrees
Winnipegger Joan Wilton said he remains cautious in avoiding crowds and wearing a mask to get groceries.
These are “just the precautions we were taking when COVID was considered too rampant,” Wilton said Wednesday.
He also just received his fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine, which Jack Pihulak said he has also done now.
Pihulak, who received a heart transplant in 2017, said he became very ill when he contracted COVID-19 earlier this year. But he’s still not too worried about the virus and said he wants to move on.
“And that’s all I can do. I’m still going to live my life. I’m not going to live in a shell or in a bubble,” he said.
Yared Hundie says he thinks it’s time to get back to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic, but his family is still taking some precautions. (Trevor Brine / CBC)
Yared Hundie said he and his family have relaxed, but they still wear masks when they think it’s necessary.
“I’m no longer worried about that and I think we need to get it [back to] normal, “he said as his three children played nearby.
Increase in cases in other provinces
While it is difficult to say exactly how many cases of COVID-19 there are in the province, as most Manitobans are no longer eligible for PCR testing, a provincial spokesman said the government is looking at indicators such as data from ‘wastewater, outbreaks, hospitalizations and deaths, and most indicators. show a declining trend in COVID-19 activity.
Both the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants have been detected in Winnipeg wastewater samples, and the latter comprise about 10 percent of the sequenced isolates, the spokesman said in an email.
Other regions of the country, included Quebec i Ontariowe have seen COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations begin to increase.
Thomas Linner, provincial director of the Manitoba Health Coalition advocacy group, said he is concerned that the province will no longer offer regular briefings on COVID-19 before an expected increase in variant-related cases.
Linner said his organization is asking the province to release an updated model to chart the potential path for new variants and for PCR testing to be available again for more Manitobans.
Thomas Linner of the Manitoba Health Coalition says the province needs to take more steps to help people understand the COVID-19 situation in Manitoba, such as publishing updated models based on new variants. (City News)
He said the government should also set clear benchmarks on what needs to happen for public health rules to re-enter and make a broader push for people to receive all their vaccinations before the expected increase in cases.
“If we’re at the point where we see multiple jurisdictions facing new waves of COVID-19, we can’t pretend they won’t come here in Manitoba,” Linner said.
“If you get here in Manitoba, what options do we have in front of us? If we do nothing, then the choice is that more and more people will die. I don’t think it’s acceptable. I think most Manitobans will agree with me.”
The provincial spokesman said the government continues to work with local, national and international colleagues to make sure it is making the best recommendations for Manitobans. Public health councils have not changed at the moment, but changes will be made if necessary, the spokesman said.
Epidemiologist Carr said the actions the people of Manitoba are taking now will help shape what will happen next, for better or for worse.
“We’re not done yet, but we definitely have a better set of tools now,” he said. “It’s up to us to use it.”