Canadian doctors brace for another ‘tripledemic’ – COVID-19, RSV and influenza
Global News
As Canadians continue to enjoy the last bit of summer's sun-soaked days, doctors say they are bracing for a potential "tridemic" of influenza, RSV and COVID-19.
As Canadians continue to enjoy the last bit of summer’s sun-soaked days, doctors say they are bracing for a potential “tripledemic” of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19, signalling the imminent arrival of respiratory flu season.
Last flu season — which typically runs from November to March in Canada — saw a surge of all three respiratory viruses across the country, especially among children, which was exacerbated by a scarcity of pain relievers, leading to increased hospitalizations and heightened emergency room visits.
The triple threat of respiratory viruses is expected to hit Canadians again, Toronto Public Health’s associate medical officer of health Dr. Vinita Dubey said at a virtual Ontario Medical Association (OMA) conference on Aug. 24.
“We take our lead from what’s happened in the Southern Hemisphere because their winter is before ours,” she said.
“And they certainly have had a busy season with those three viruses, and we did see that again here last year as well, too. So we are expecting this fall to see a heavy respiratory virus season, particularly with those three, RSV, influenza and COVID, among the other viruses spread around that time.”
It may be the first year since the pandemic is no longer considered a global health emergency, “but COVID is still here,” she added.
Australia’s flu season has long been looked at by Canadian health experts in preparation for flu season here. This year’s influenza season in Australia has revealed a significant trend: children aged 16 and younger bore the brunt, constituting 72 per cent of hospital admissions, according to Australian health data. The season was also met with high RSV rates.
Dr. Prabhat Jha, an epidemiologist at Unity Health Toronto, said the severity of this flu season remains uncertain for now, but a potentially clearer picture may emerge by the end of September, in terms of COVID-19 cases.
The remote Ontario community remains under a state of emergency after its water treatment plant failed last week. Evacuations are underway.
It's been proposed if the score remains even after overtime, it would be decided by alternating plays from the opposition's three-yard line until one scores and the other doesn't.
François Legault made the announcement at the national assembly of Quebec on Wednesday as October’s provincial election approaches.
Crombie announced she would resign back in September after a weak show of support for the leader at the Ontario Liberal convention on the back of a third-place election finish.
The O'Neills are at the centre of a Charter of Rights challenge, now before the B.C. Supreme Court, that seeks to end the practice of so-called "forced transfers."
The former Manwin Hotel, which has been vacant for about a year, is the scene of a major fire, though crews say the cause is not yet known.
A major issue this week will be China's heavy tariffs on pork, canola and seafood, which were imposed after Ottawa ordered tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum.
Despite data saying otherwise, Kelowna, B.C. business owners say break and enters, thefts and property crime are through the roof.
Kelowna is flooded with empty condo and rental units, with the city's vacancy rate now the highest in all of Canada at more than six per cent.
Producers in Saskatchewan say they are feeling optimistic ahead of Premier Scott Moe joining Prime Minister Mark Carney on his trip to China this week.
The Daily Bread Food Bank is alleging a misuse of funds at Feed Scarborough and cutting the agency from its network at the end of January.
Life expectancy at birth in Canada increased for the second consecutive year in 2024, with women living longer on average than men, Statistics Canada said.
SiRT is investigating a shooting involving members of the RCMP that resulted in the death of a man from Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia on Tuesday morning.