Spring wave of COVID-19? Be prepared Canada, experts warn
CTV
As provinces lift COVID-19 public health measures, some experts are warning that Canada may experience another wave of infections this spring, with wastewater data in many regions showing an uptick in cases due in part to the Omicron subvariant BA.2.
Officials in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and B.C. say wastewater analysis suggests COVID-19 infections are beginning to climb again. However, experts say it's not yet clear whether Canada's next wave will be a surge or a ripple.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch told CTV's Your Morning on Thursday that current modelling data suggests parts of Canada may experience a "bump" in cases this spring.
"It could be a wave, it could be a smaller wave… It's not entirely clear what’s on deck, but we'll probably have a rise in cases and we know that whenever there's a rise in cases, there's usually this corresponding rise, sadly, in hospitalizations and deaths," Bogoch said.
Public health officials tracking prevalence of COVID-19 through municipal wastewater testing in Ontario say they’re seeing a "sustained increase" in the viral signal in a variety of locations.
