COVID-19: Transmission remains high, but indicators suggest peak of sixth wave: Summers

COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron subvariant BA.2, has peaked, the region’s medical officer of health said Monday.However, Dr.

Alex Summers stresses that he’ll be more confident to make an official declaration once there is a sustained decline in COVID-19 transmission, noting that risk of infection remains at its highest point compared to any time before the Omicron wave.“Making those conclusions is always easier to do in the rear-view mirror.

I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily seeing a sustained decline at this point, but certainly we have evidence that things have plateaued, at least when it comes to case activity, per cent positivity and wastewater data,” Summers said during the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s COVID-19 media briefing on Monday.Projections released on April 14 by the province’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table said that while wastewater data suggested a peaking of viral transmission in Ontario, “modelling indicates that hospital occupancy is likely to continue to rise for some time, with uncertainty in the timing and height of the peak.”“The key thing to note is that our hospitalizations and ICU admissions are often lagging metrics,” Summers said.“So we are unlikely to see hospitalizations plateau immediately, even if transmission in the community is plateauing as we speak.”With health officials seeing sustained indicators that transmission is plateauing, “hopefully we will start to see a decline as we move into May,” Summers said.

Canada eased its travel rules again. What to know, and how to guard against COVID During the briefing, Dr. Summers reiterated his call that people get the COVID-19 vaccine booster if they have not already done so, and continue adhering to pandemic.