News July 13, 2022 – 2:30 p.m. EDT
The infectious disease expert says the region may see higher cases due to the spread of new variants in the south
According to the World Health Organization, cases of COVID-19 reported worldwide have increased by almost three percent over the past two weeks. (Image of Pixabay PIR04D)
By Meral Jamal
People in Nunavik should expect a fourth wave of COVID-19 in the coming weeks, says the clinical leader in infectious diseases from the Nunavik Department of Public Health.
Dr. Yassen Tcholakov says the spread of new variants in southern Canada is contributing to an increase in cases there.
This includes the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, which the World Health Organization is overseeing.
“We’re just trying to prepare the population for what we’re seeing in other parts of the province and in other parts of the world,” Tcholakov said.
In Nunavik, there are 37 active cases reported in the region of about 12,000 people, as of July 7th.
Tcholakov said the mutations in the virus, plus the times of year when people spend more time indoors, drive the spread of COVID-19.
“There will be times when there will be less COVID, there will be times when there will be more COVID,” he said.
“COVID is constantly changing a bit and some of the new strains may be more infectious.”
Tcholakov said it is important to note that infections caused by new Omicron subvariants do not appear to be as severe as those observed during previous waves with other variants.
He said the best way for Nunavimmiut to protect themselves from COVID-19 is still vaccination.
Although mandatory masking and testing requirements are no longer in place, Tcholakov encouraged people to “adjust and reduce their level of personal risk.”
Globally, reported cases have risen nearly three percent in the past two weeks, according to the World Health Organization.