TORONTO (Reuters) – The Canadian province of Ontario is entering a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Medical Officer David Williams said Thursday, though he said it was unclear how soon the outbreak would occur. diseases.
New COVID-19 infections in the Canadian population rose to an average of 1,427 per day over the past seven days, up from 1,252 the previous week, Williams said at a news conference.
“As we enter the third wave, the question is what kind of wave will it be? Is it a wavy wave? Is it a fast rising wave? ”Williams said.
A panel of experts warned last week that new strains of the coronavirus were spreading rapidly in Ontario and could trigger the third wave of diseases.
While mutations in viruses are inevitable, there are worrying changes in sequences identified as “anxiety changes” that could benefit the virus, increase susceptibility or decrease the effectiveness of vaccines. .
While Ontario has raised stay-at-home orders, Toronto’s dense area remains under what the province calls “locking” measures, which strictly limit the size of most gatherings. socializing and restricting bars and restaurants to taking orders.
The majority of coronavirus variable cases in Ontario were identified as B.1.1.7, which was first identified in the United Kingdom. The variant is more flexible, which makes it difficult to control an outbreak. Approved vaccines appear to be effective against it so far.
Canada’s vaccination campaign has weakened other rich countries, in part because the country’s supply contracts promised very few doses of the vaccines in the first quarter.
The Canadian government has dispensed some 4.8 million doses so far and 6.8% of Canadians have received at least one dose, federal officials said during a separate briefing Thursday. Vaccine shipping is expected to rise sharply in the coming weeks, with more than 3 million doses expected over the next two weeks.
Reciting with Allison Martell; Edited by Paul Simao