(Ottawa) The Omicron variant is spreading at breakneck speed and there are indications that there is community transmission across the country, according to chief administrators of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
On Monday, Ontario’s expert panel on COVID-19 revealed that the Omicron variant now accounts for 21% of COVID-19 cases in that province. This is a staggering increase, as public health officials counted just 87 cases of the Omicron variant in Canada just days ago.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr.D Theresa Tam, believes that Ontario is not an isolated case.
“In my opinion, the Omicron variant is everywhere in the province and in Canada now. It is not fair in Ontario. There may be a little weaker transmission in the other provinces, but it is a matter of time. In the coming days, we will have a lot more cases, ”said D.D Tam, at a virtual press conference on Monday.
Last week, the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) said there was no community transmission in Quebec due to the limited cases.
However, the situation has changed in the last few days. “In the city of Montreal, we have reported a few unrelated cases, where we do not find any link with foreign travel. So I think we have indications that community transmission is all over the country, ”noted the Deputy Chief Public Health Officer, Dr.r Howard Njoo.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday that the Omicron variant appears to spread faster than the Delta variant, which is the dominant strain in Canada today. Omicron would also cause less severe symptoms and make vaccines less effective, increasing the demand for booster doses in developed countries.
The most recent PHAC modeling predicts that if Omicron gains the upper hand in Canada at current transmission levels, some 26,600 cases of this variant could be seen per day nationwide.
Speaking Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “very concerned” by federal public health projections, and called on all Canadians to follow local health rules. He also encouraged Canadians to get their booster dose, if they are eligible, as well as to immunize children aged 5 to 11 who are now eligible for the first two doses.
“We must continue to be vigilant. We hope to have good times during the Christmas holidays, but we must continue to be careful. We are still in a pandemic situation, ”he recalled during a press conference.
Dr Njoo has once again called on provinces and territories to downgrade holiday gatherings.
“On Friday I said, ‘OK, maybe it’s not a good idea to have gatherings of 20 people. Maybe 10 people. ” But with the Omicron variant, maybe it still needs to be revised. So that’s something to follow as we go, and I also think public health authorities across the country are closely monitoring what’s going on, ”he said.
Quebec Premier François Legault said on Monday he still hopes 20 vaccinated people can gather in Quebec as of December 23. He was to meet with Quebec public health in the evening and will provide an update on the situation on Tuesday.