MODELLING SHOWS CANADIANS CAN EXPECT 'VERY INTENSE' OMICRON SURGE FOR SEVERAL WEEKS
Jan 14, 2022
By Bob Komsic
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New modelling from the Public Health Agency of Canada suggests Omicron will likely push hospitalizations across the country to ”extremely high levels” in the coming weeks as case counts reach levels not seen before during the pandemic.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the data also points to the current wave peaking this month somewhere between 170,000 and 300,000 cases per-day.
”Right now we’re in a slightly, sort of grey zone if you like, of waiting to see what happens next,” says Tam.
”You can’t tell whether you’ve really reached a peak, for example, until after the peak is truly over.”
Currently, there are about 37,500 cases reported daily, but, those numbers are not believed to be accurate since many parts of Canada no longer provide PCR tests for most of the population.
About 28% of lab tests performed are coming back positive; meaning more than one-in-four show positive results – almost five times higher than at any other point in the pandemic.