ǿմý

Skip to main content

'Living with the virus': Feds outline what that should look like

Share

Amid ongoing protests over vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions in Ottawa and elsewhere, Canada’s top health officials outlined what “living with the virus” would look like, saying it should mean fewer deaths, a health-care system that is not overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases, and timely surgeries for patients with serious diseases.

“Living with the virus means that people have to stop dying because of it in such large numbers,” Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos said during the Public Health Agency of Canada’s weekly COVID-19 briefing on Friday.

“Secondly, living with the virus means that the virus in our health-care system must be able to coexist without the latter being paralyzed, without cancer patients being told that their surgeries will have to wait because our hospitals and our health-care workers are overwhelmed by COVID-19.”

It also means using the tools available to combat transmission and limit the severity of infection, at both an individual level and collectively, and to recognize that it is very likely there will still be bad surprises in store in the months ahead, Duclos said. He added that living with the virus also means being up to date with vaccinations so that everyone is better protected and prepared when the next wave or variant strikes.

“Even if we know that vaccination is imperfect, the science is unequivocal – vaccination does reduce transmission and prevent severe complications.”

Less transmission and fewer severe cases will help ease the pressure on hospitals and on health-care workers, which in turn would help ease public health measures in place, he explained, calling vaccinations the best and main way to protect Canadians.

The latest data shows that 50 per cent of eligible Canadians have received their booster dose, while 55 per cent of eligible children have received their first dose, according to health officials, though booster rates for those who are older and therefore more vulnerable are “pretty good.”

Severe illness trends are still high or even increasing in some parts of the country, with more than 1,000 patients in intensive care and 130 people dying each day, Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada said during the press conference. Still, there are hopeful signs as the number of people being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals is declining overall, she said.

Health authorities across the country are looking ahead and planning how to manage the virus over the short and longer term, said Tam, including a transition plan for the immediate future to ease restrictions as activity in the latest wave improves.

Duclos emphasized that protective measures were always meant to be temporary.

“Some of these restrictions will be with us for a long time. Others will be lifted as soon as the epidemiological situation, science and prudence allow it.” 

CTVNews.ca ǿմý

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

Stay Connected