Canada : Omicron surge overwhelms hospitals
While the risk of hospitalisation from the Omicron variant of Covid19 is lower than that for Delta, the fact that it’s extremely transmissible is driving up admissions because of the sheer volume of cases, Canada’s chief public health officer has said.
Former CEO of the University Health Network and Ontario deputy health minister Dr. Bob Bell says every Western country dealing with Covid’s fast spreading Omicron variant has a stressed hospital system right now. But he says Canada will pursue lockdowns and restrictions sooner than places such as the United States because it has a lower tolerance for measures like death.
Ontario reported 2,419 patients hospitalized due to the virus on Sunday, down from Saturday’s count of nearly 2,600 — though the province notes not all facilities share data over the weekend.
