Ontario’s science board shares that forecast with data from the end of June, shared on social media last week, showing sewer signs, positive tests and hospitalizations from the virus increasing. It likely means the province is already in another wave of COVID-19 driven by the highly infectious BA.5 Omicron sub-variant.
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“The COVID virus is going to be around for a long time to come,” Richardson told 900 CHML’s Hamilton Today. “We’re going to continue to see these new variations emerge as it goes forward, and we should all continue to pay attention to that.” Story continues below ad In the past week, five of Hamilton Public Health’s key COVID-19 tracking indicators have shown upward trends, including the seven-day average of new cases, which has moved from 33 reported in mid-June to 62 per day on July 3 . Active institutional outbreaks essentially doubled from eight reported on 21 June to 19 on 5 July. The viral signals of wastewater that detect COVID-19 in samples have been steadily increasing since June 1, approaching levels seen in the initial Omicron wave in mid-January. Trending results from the University of Ottawa’s COVID-19 wastewater testing through samples taken from Hamilton’s Woodward Avenue water treatment plant. Researchers are monitoring the amount of coronavirus present in the city’s sewage system. Trending Stories
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Story continues below ad Dr. Timothy Sly, an epidemiologist and emeritus professor at the Metropolitan University of Toronto, has no doubt the province is in another wave, with hospitalization rates rising by about a hundred a month and the continued proliferation of the Omicron variant family. Despite indications that the current variant is less dangerous for most people, it is sending others to hospital, putting more pressure on medical services at a time when staffing is low and absenteeism rates have soared. Hamilton hospitals have struggled in this department with Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joe’s reported in May about 700 total jobs they were unable to fill. Add to that the estimated 300 staff and doctors who have been isolated at home since the first week of July, and the massive backlog of surgeries is reported to have around 15,000 operations on hold as of the first quarter of 2022. 2:15 Some ERs crash as another wave of COVID-19 hits Previous Video Next Video Story continues below ad “One thing for sure is we’re moving towards … a true endemic situation,” Sly told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton. “This does not mean the end of the pandemic, as some have asked me. It just means a level where, like the common cold or seasonal flu, we expect it to be there.” Richardson says she’s not sure what an endemic scenario will look like down the road, but if the disease persists through new variants, the general population should better understand the science behind COVID-19. “That’s why it’s so important to get into the habit of watching what’s going on, looking at what needs to be done,” Richardson said.
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Both Richardson and Sly stress the importance of vaccine awareness, saying the measure is “critical.” Sly says the current version of COVID-19 circulating in the population is really a disease that requires three doses of protection. “And if you are offered the fourth dose, take that too. It’s a surefire protection,” Sly said. Richardson is even suggesting a return to masking indoors for many Hamiltonians — particularly those who have discovered in the past two years that they are vulnerable to the virus. Story continues below ad “Yeah, I’ll say it again, we have to wear masks sometimes,” Richardson said. “We’ll need to see what’s happening in our community and look at wearing masks when we’re in crowded places.” © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
