Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer says that as long as Omicron remains the dominant variant of the virus causing COVID-19 in Canada, the risk of another massive wave of infections is low.
Dr. Theresa Tam says the number of cases of Omicron in recent months, coupled with high vaccination rates in Canada, has created good community-level protection against COVID-19 so far.
She warns that if another variant emerges that is significantly different from Omicron and able to evade current vaccines, that could change.
But even in this scenario, she says, better treatments and greater availability of rapid tests make it unlikely that more disruptive measures like school closures and limits on gatherings will be needed.
Ms Tam says face masks should be kept on as the first line of defense against COVID-19 even though they are not mandatory.
Alberta and Saskatchewan lifted mask requirements this week, with Manitoba expected to follow in the middle of the month, Ontario possibly at the end of the month and Quebec in mid-April.
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