Canada could see fourth COVID-19 wave driven by Delta if re-opening is too fast

OTTAWA – Canada’s top doctor is warning the country could be on the brink of a fourth wave of COVID-19 driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, if the country opens up too quickly before enough people have been vaccinated.

Dr. Theresa Tam says long-term forecasts indicate that a hasty approach to reopening could portend a sharp resurgence of the virus by the end of the summer. She adds the new modelling underscores the need to exercise caution in lifting public health measures as early signs of epidemic growth emerge in some areas.

Experts have said a fourth wave of COVID-19 is inevitable. However, they note how severe it gets will depend heavily on vaccination rates

Tam did have some positive news Friday about how many Canadians are becoming seriously sick from the illness.

“Fortunately, the number of people experiencing severe and critical illness is still declining,” she said. “The latest seven-day average for the number of people with COVID-19 being treated in our hospitals each day has fallen below 480 daily.”

“Not surprisingly, the majority of cases, hospitalizations, and fatal outcomes are occurring among unvaccinated people,” Tam added.

Related articles:

Tam says officials expect the Delta variant could fuel the spread of the virus among younger unvaccinated people, leading to a serious rise of case counts and hospitalization rates this fall and winter. But increasing vaccine acceptance among young adults aged 18 to 39 to a rate of 80 per cent would cushion the fallout of a potential fourth wave.

As of last Saturday, 46 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 29 were fully vaccinated, as were 54 per cent of those aged 30 to 39.

Tam says current COVID-19 case counts have plummeted by 93 per cent since the peak of the third wave, for an average of 640 new infections being reported daily over the past seven days.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today