Tam warns that public health obligations may be revived, but in the future favors a lighter touch – Williams Lake Tribune

The Government of Canada should be ready to resume public health measures in the event of another serious variant of COVID-19, even if it reduces mask and vaccine obligations, Canada’s Chief Public Health Director. The official said on Friday.

Several states have announced plans to put an end to COVID-19 restrictions, indicating that the Omicron wave is receding and is now back to normal.

“We cannot continue the state of emergency forever. Alberta Prime Minister Jason Kenny said earlier this month that the state was on March 1st with all the remaining COVIDs, including collection restrictions and indoor masking rules- 19 Announced that the restrictions will be lifted.

Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Secretary, said on Friday that she hopes Canada has survived the pandemic crisis and is now in a transitional phase towards recovery.

But it’s still unclear what the new coronavirus, which has ruined lives around the world for nearly two years, will do next, and if the number of cases begins to skyrocket again, Canada will regain some public health measures. She said she needed to be ready.

The latest data show that Canada is heading in the right direction.

According to Tam, weekly cases have fallen by 26% nationwide, and the number of people infected with COVID-19 in hospitals and intensive care units has fallen by more than 20% since last week. As of February 24, there are still 6,228 new cases in Canada, and that number is underestimated as many jurisdictions limit molecular testing to high-risk people.

Tam said things could change again in September, when the respiratory virus usually reoccurs.

“We need to prepare for the fall in case we need to restart the game,” she said.

According to her, the goal this time is to limit strict restrictions in support of “less heavy” measures such as mask obligations.

She said Canada is currently in a good position to strike a balance between returning to normal and protecting itself from severe illness, and no strict restrictions are needed.

“But you know, I don’t think we should be able to discount them completely,” she said.

Some states have decided to withdraw the mandatory use of masks, especially in schools, but others have promised to abolish them altogether.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention significantly relaxed federal mask wearing guidelines on Friday, so most Americans will no longer be advised to wear masks indoors in public places.

Masks will soon be obsolete in many parts of Canada, but Tam said masks are still a basic protective layer and urged Canadians to continue wearing them.

“People should choose to wear a mask, which should probably be one of the most basic layers available,” she said.

She said switching from a mission could be difficult for some people, including businesses, as it results in personal choices. That is why governments should empower people to make the best choices to protect themselves.

Even those who choose not to cover their face should not yet throw their masks in the trash. According to Tam, he should be ready in case another more dangerous variant evolves.

According to the latest data, traces of the BA.2 substrain of the Omicron variant are already more common in Canada, accounting for about 10 percent of confirmed cases.

In countries like Denmark, where BA.2 predominates, it does not appear to cause more serious illness. However, it has proven to be more contagious than Omicron, which spreads at an incredible rate.

“We are confident that all these policies will be revisited if a variant occurs and people are seriously affected,” Tam said.

— Canadian news agency Laura Ottoman

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