Canada : Health Authorities warn that the country could be headed towards fourth wave
Canadian health authorities have warned the country could be on the cusp of a fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, driven by the Delta variant. Canada’s chief public health officer Dr Theresa Tam said that their latest modelling, which was released on Friday, “suggests that we are the start of a Delta-driven fourth wave”.
The new picture on Canada’s pandemic trajectory shows the serious threat the highly-contagious Delta variant is posing, and the risk that the unvaccinated may be to the country being thrust into a fourth wave of the disease.
“The updated longer-range forecast shows how the epidemic trajectory may evolve through early September. It suggests that we are at the start of the Delta-driven fourth wave, but that the trajectory will depend on ongoing increases in fully vaccinated coverage, and the timing, pace and extent of reopening,” Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said.
B.C. declared a COVID-19 outbreak in the Central Okanagan after a rapid rise in cases in the region and is reimposing a local mask mandate, as well as other public health measures.
B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the spread of the delta variant in the area is alarming, but she believes the new measures will help flatten the spike in numbers.
Although its case numbers are lower overall now, Alberta is seeing the virus spread faster than it did during the peak of the third wave, with case counts now being driven by the more infectious variant.
Overall, 81% of the eligible population in the country has received one dose of a vaccine, while 66% are fully jabbed. But the more transmissible Delta variant means that those numbers may have to climb further to avoid the fourth wave.
Cumulative cases could reach 1,441,610 on August 8, from the current 1,430,046, according to the modelling. The modelling document stated Delta is the “most transmissible variant to date” and Canada has recorded a five-fold increase in proportion of Delta cases in June.
