COVID-19 pandemic is still ‘raging,’ experts say. How to stay safe heading into fall

Experts said Canadians should be reminded that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, adding that vaccination, masking and ventilation of indoor spaces are crucial.

The COVID-19 pandemic is not over, experts warn, and they say that Canadians should still take precautions heading into the fall months to protect themselves and the health-care system against the virus and other seasonal illnesses.

Raywat Deonandan, an epidemiologist and associate professor with the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa, warns that the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over.

“(The pandemic) is raging around as wildly as it has ever been,” Deonandan told Global News.

For the week of Aug. 7 to Aug. 13, Canada had 24,161 cases of COVID-19, with Ontario having the highest number of 10,655 cases, according to Health Canada.

Although most areas in Canada appear to be at or past the peak of the current wave of COVID-19, the regional increase in COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations continues, Canada’s top doctor Theresa Tam said in a tweet on Friday.

“As well, with SARSCoV2 continuing to circulate worldwide, Canada must prepare for renewed COVID-19 activity, including with potential new variants in the months ahead,” wrote Tam. “In particular, as part of readying ourselves for the fall, with more people returning to in-person work and children going back to school, getting vaccinations up-to-date is a top priority.”

Deonandan says the key concern for now and the upcoming season is the ability of Canada’s health-care system to absorb patients’ needs.